MetroWest YMCA Honors Boston Marathon Icons Dick And Rick Hoyt
FRAMINGHAM (CBS) - Next month's Boston Marathon will be the first since the race lost one of its icons, Dick Hoyt.
For decades, Dick and his son, Rick encouraged runners and did a lot to support the YMCA. On Thursday, the MetroWest YMCA honored Dick and Rick with a signed lithograph that will forever hang at its entrance with the words Dick lived by "Yes, you can!"
The dedication included several heartwarming stories from Dick's closest friends, Boston Marathon Race Director Dave McGillivray and 26.2 President Tim Kilduff.
McGillivray says Dick insisted on doing everything with his son Rick and everyone who saw them were inspired. "Folks were amazed at seeing what they were seeing," McGillivray said. "This father pulling his son in a rubber dingy, pulling him in a cart behind a bike and pushing him in a wheelchair."
Kilduff told the intimate gathering there was more to Hoyt than brawn. "The most important lesson I've learned from Dick Hoyt, was not the athletic part of it. It was in fact the power of the relationship he has with his sons," Kilduff said.
Rick is happy his father will live on through the race and his words, "We miss our dad every day. By having dad's name on the memory wall, it will be a good way to keep his 'yes you can' attitude alive," Rick said.
Rick's brother Russell was with him at the dedication and is proud of what the Hoyt name has come to represent. "This is incredible in that it's honoring our father for exactly what he meant to everyone. That people could be included," Russell said.
Boston Athletic Association CEO, Tom Grilk says the unbreakable bond of father and son will always serve as an inspiration. "For Dick and Rick Hoyt, they made something new, and it will endure for a very long time and the world is a better place for it," Grilk said.
And this year, Russell's son Troy will be carrying on his grandfather's legacy by running the marathon.
"It's just inspiring that we can keep the Hoyt family involved," says Russell. "And be part of the Boston Marathon and Troy representing our family just means everything to me."
