High School Alumni Pushes Son in Wheel Chair in Boston Marathon

alumni Dick Hoyt will run the Boston Marathon this year pushing his son Rick, who has cerebral palsy, in a wheel chair. The father-son team has competed in 1072 race events in the last 33 years. 

“This is my 30^th year,” Hoyt said of the Boston Marathon. “We travel all over the world now competing.”

Dick Hoyt started the Hoyt Foundation in 1989. Their goal: to build the confidence of America’s disabled young people. Dick, 71, and Rick Hoyt, 50, travel the world speaking in communities and competing in marathons and triathlons. 

To raise money for their foundation, Dick Hoyt formed Team Hoyt, which has grown from just two people to over 40 running on their behalf.

Money donated to the Hoyt Foundation is used to promote disability awareness and support local organizations. In 2009, they donated $25,000 to the Easter Seals of Massachusetts. They have also contributed $25,000 to the Children’s Hospital in Boston for their Augmentative Communication Department.

You can make a tax-deductible donation by sending a check made payable to “The Hoyt Foundation, Inc.” to Team Hoyt ATTN: Kathy Boyer 241 Mashapaug Road, Holland, MA 01521.

Or you can support one of Team Hoyt’s runners. Tammy Stapleton, a wife and mother, will be running the Boston Marathon with Team Hoyt this year. Stapleton used to live in town and worked as a special education teacher at .

"Rick and Dick Hoyt inspired me to run my first Boston Marathon back in 2010. During the last leg of the 2009 Timberman Triathlon I crossed paths with Rick and Dick. All I thought was that if Dick was able to cross the finish line while carrying another human being then I certainly should be able to drag my sorry behind across the finish line, too," Stapleton said. "I felt like I had no excuse. Rick and Dick's dedication, example of strength of the human spirit and loyalty to each other inspires me to run and do what I can to inspire others."

Make a donation online and help Stapleton raise $5,000 to support the Hoyt Foundation and her “quest for the finish line of the 116th Boston Marathon.”