Racing helps Mass. father, disabled son forge bond

By RODRIQUE NGOWI Associated Press

HOLLAND, Mass. (AP) - The year was 1992, and Dick Hoyt and his son, Rick, wanted to run and bike across the country to raise funds for a charity for cerebral palsy - a condition 30-year-old Rick developed at birth.

But the charity didn't want anything to do with a trek across the United States.

"And, uh, so this insurance company that was going to finance us backed out with four weeks to go before - so we had to refinance our house here so we are able to pick up the expenses," Dick Hoyt recalled recently, sitting next to his quadriplegic son at their home in the hills of western Massachusetts.

Twenty-one years later, after running, biking and swimming together in some of the world's highest-profile competitions, 73-year-old father and 51-year-old son are among the most recognized faces at the granddaddy of them all - the Boston Marathon.

1 of the race's sponsors recently unveiled a life-size statue in their honor in the town where the race starts. Another backer, Timex, pushed so strongly to be identified with the duo that it would allow them to talk to The Associated Press only if the article mentioned the two are promoting the watch maker's social media campaign.

They've gone from being skeptics dogged by veiled references about abuse to visionaries, even heroes, mirroring how perception and treatment of people with disabilities have changed over the years.

"When we started running in road races and stuff, I used to get a lot of phone calls and letters from other families that had disabled people, and they were very upset with me; they said, 'What are you doing dragging the disabled son through all these races? Are you just looking for glory for yourself?'" Dick Hoyt said. "What they didn't realize: He was the one dragging me through all these races."

Father and son had to get creative to race together.

Dick pushes Rick in a specially designed wheelchair when they run together. When swimming, Rick wears a life jacket and is belted into a seat that's towed by a rope attached to Dad's wetsuit vest. For biking, the younger Hoyt sits in a chair at the front of Dad's bicycle.

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Racing helps Mass. father, disabled son forge bond