Inaugural Dick Hoyt Memorial 'Yes You Can' Race honors running legacy
HOPKINTON - At the sound of a horn, a very special legacy was honored and new tradition kicked off in Hopkinton.
On Saturday, hundreds took to the starting line to take part for the inaugural Dick Hoyt Memorial "Yes You Can" Road Race.
Boston Marathon icon Rick Hoyt died at the age of 61 earlier this week. Rick and his father Dick Hoyt were longtime staples on the Boston course. The Hoyt family had been preparing for the first Dick Hoyt Memorial Road Race for the past few months in honor of Rick's dad who died in 2021.
"This race was designed to honor dad's memory. And with Rick's passing, it just took on a new significance," said Rick's brother, Russ Hoyt. So we've doubled the effort, we've doubled the energy."
Rick had cerebral palsy, which left him a quadriplegic. Over the decades, the Hoyts completed more than 1,000 races together, including 32 Boston Marathons.
"We want to help include my mom's dream, my dad's mission. Inclusion for everybody with handicaps and disabilities," Rick's brother Robert Hoyt said.
This new race was a five-mile run or two-mile walk for participants, which drew in celebrities like former Boston Bruins star Zdeno Chara and world marathon champion Becca Pizzi.
"Both of them have done so much for the running community, open up the barriers. They now live forever," Chara said.
Pizzi said, "Team Hoyt has been a huge inspiration behind everything that I do. They gave me this bracelet seven years ago and I've never taken it off since. It's an honor to be here."
WBZ TV anchor Chris Tanaka also took part in the race.
"And to see this overflow crowd at this first race today shows the impact they made on the community," Tanaka said.
When Rick passed earlier this week, registration for this event skyrocketed from three hundred to more than 800 participants, and they absolutely annihilated their fundraising goal.
"We were hoping to raise between 10-to-25K. But between sponsors and races, we are now over 70K," said. "We are overcapacity. We didn't order enough t-shirts, and we did not expect it to blow up."
A touching moment came when family and friends walked the iconic Hoyt wheelchair across the finish line.
"Just a very special day to remember the family and what they're doing to change the world," said aunt Susan Grillo.