An Evening with Dick Hoyt

An Evening with Dick Hoyt (April 27, 2007)

Here are some notes that I took during the talk….Enjoy! Please visit http://www.teamhoyt.com/ to correct any notes that I may have misquoted. It was a very cool and emotional evening for everyone in attendance.

Dick is now 66. He started running with Rick when he was 40 to raise money for someone who became disabled in an accident. The race organizers gave them the number 00. They came in 2nd to last. But not last. Dick pushed his son in a wheel chair for 5 miles.

They have never been last in a race.

Rick calls himself “Free Bird” when he is running with his Dad.

They wanted to run in Boston but no one wanted them there. In 1981, the Boston organizers said they could run if they lined up at the back behind everyone else. They did. Dick hit the wall at mile 22. They finished in a remarkable 3:18.

They still tried to run officially at Boston, and they said they needed to qualify at Ricks age of 22. Not his Dad’s age of 40+. The qualifying time for 22 was 2:50. They chose a qualifying race and ran it in 2:45.23 which officially qualified them. Their PB for a marathon is an astonishing 2:40.17.

In 1984 they were talked into trying a triathlon. Rick really wanted to try so they decided to try. Dick did not know how to swim at the time and had 9 months to go until the race. He bought a house on a lake to help him learn to swim. Each day he would swim and gradually get better. The modified equipment for Rick was finished on the day of the race. The distance swim= 1mile, Bike = 40 miles, Run = 10 miles. They finished next to last. But not last.

In the past they have completed in 20 triathlons a year.

Dick pulls his son in a 10 foot boat as he swims. Rick has a bean bag chair in the boat that keeps him upright. Dick laughs that Rick is probably snoozing in the boat as he swims. Rick would reply that how can he sleep with Dick kicking water all over his face. J

Once out the water he then carries his son through T1 to his modified bike that weighs in at 76 pounds.

When they decided to do Hawaii Ironman, they said Dick can do it but not Rick. They eventually got into the race and they organizers then said that by having the windshield on the front of the bike to protect Rick from bugs was an unfair advantage. Together Rick and Dick + the bike weigh in at 365 pounds.

Rick was the 1st disabled athlete to ever compete and finish an Ironman. And because of him there is now a disabled category.

Dick looks at racing like this: He is just loaning his arms and legs so that Rick can compete. Dick is the body and Rick is the heart of Team Hoyt.

When Rick runs he feels as if he is not handicapped!

The letters CAN are never followed by an ‘T in Team Hoyt.

When they attempted their 2nd Hawaii Ironman they encountered some technical difficulties on the bike which forced them to wait on the side of the road for over an hour before help arrived. They missed the bike cutoff by 90 mins. The organizers let them run due to the time lost on the road but said if they want to be official finishers they need to finish before midnight. This was considered to be a running miracle if this was to happen. They finished at 11:15. A miracle??

At 59 Dick explains that he had a body of a 22 year old, and it was all Ricks fault. Without the encouragement and desire of his son he would most likely be a couch potato.

Their 1st Ironman was Ironman Canada in Penticton in 1987.

They have completed in an amazing 945 events together!

Dick feels that he needs to be physically and mentally ready for each race.

Ricks most special race = Boston Dick’s most special race = Hawaii

It is estimated that Rick and Dick have traveled the distance around the world 3x.

When Rick was in Boston University they did 50 races a year.

The toughest event the have done = Ocean to Ocean bike across the U.S. This took 45 days. They finished on a Thursday and did a triathlon on the weekend.

Ultimate goal: Maybe to run/bike across the US stopping every 50 miles and talking to schools and towns as they go.

Rick has written an article that will appear in Men’s Health for the Fathers day edition. Dick does not know what he has written yet. I am sure it will be a great read!