Dick Hoyt, who inspired thousands of runners, fathers and disabled athletes by pushing his son Rick into a wheelchair in dozens of Boston Marathons and hundreds of other races, has died, a family member said Wednesday.
He was 80.
Dick died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Holland, Massachusetts, on Wednesday morning, Russ Hoyt, another of his sons, told The Associated Press.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
“He had a persistent heart condition that he struggled with for years and it just got the better of him,” Russ Hoyt said.
Russ and his other brother, Rob, made the news known to Rick.
“He’s sad, as we all are, but he’s OK,” Russ said. “You could see it in him, it was like someone had hit him.”
Dick Hoyt pushed his son, who is quadruple and has cerebral palsy, into the Boston Marathon in 1980. Dick and Rick, in a specialized wheelchair, completed 32 Boston marathons together, until Dick, with reference to health issues, retired in 2014. was planning to retire after the 2013 race, but the father and son never finished due to that year’s final bombing, so they came back one more time.
The Boston Athletic Association, which runs the marathon, calls Hoyt a legend.
“The BAA is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Boston Marathon icon Dick Hoyt,” the organization said in a statement. “Dick embodies what it means to be a Boston marathon runner, showing determination, passion and love every Patriots day for more than three decades. He was not only a fan of fans who inspired thousands, but also a loyalist. friend and father who was proud to spend quality time with his son Rick as he ran from Hopkinton to Boston. ‘
Dick served as Grand Marshal of the 2015 race in recognition of his accomplishments.
And even though his dad stopped, Rick didn’t. Bryan Lyons, a dentist, took over and Rick started in 2015 until his unexpected death last June in June at the age of 50.
The 1980 Boston Marathon was not the Hoyts’ first road race.
In 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to take part in a benefit race for a paralyzed licorice player. They finish very last, but that was just the beginning.
“Dad, when I run, it feels like I’m not disabled,” Rick told his dad after the first race, according to the website of Team Hoyt, the charity that founded the family to help disabled athletes.
They competed in more than 1,000 races, including duathlons and triathlons, and in 1992, according to the website, they even completed a running and cycling race across the United States, covering 6,010 kilometers in 45 days.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
In 2013, a statue of father and son was erected in front of a school in Hopkinton, near the Boston Marathon starting line.
‘I know it’s a cliché, but I want people to know that I thought my father was a hero, not just because he pushed Rick into the marathon, but because he was a good father to us. everyone you could talk to about everything, “he said.” He inspired people to look after all their children, regardless of their disability. “
Funeral arrangements are pending.