Dad and Son of ‘Team Hoyt’ Show How Incredible Perseverance Can Overcome Nearly Any Adversity

Dick Hoyt (above left) told his inspiring story to the Joint General Session Tuesday morning at the Rosen Centre. Hoyt explained how he and his son Rick, born with severe cerebral palsy, worked to find a way to merge Rick’s desire to compete in running events with his unique physical challenges.

> When Rick Hoyt was born in 1962 with cerebral palsy, his father Dick Hoyt, was told to find an institution to house his son.

But the Hoyt family found another way. They raised their son, who found ways to communicate. Rick Hoyt has both a high school and a college diploma.

But that is only half the story. Rick Hoyt likes to run, bike and swim. Father and son -- now 67 and 45-- have helped develop machinery that has enabled them to compete in nearly 950 events, including 216 triathlons and 65 marathons.

Dick Hoyt told the inspiring story of a man and his son finding a way to bond together despite being constantly told to give up, during Monday’s Joint Final General Session in the Rosen Centre Ballroom.

Hoyt recounted the number of times he and his son were denied entry to marathons, triathlons and more; told they shouldn’t be competing due to both Rick’s handicap and the equipment they needed to use to compete.

Having persevered and overcome those hurdles, Team Hoyt is an inspiration for many worldwide, and not only those who are attempting to succeed in the face of challenges such as those which the Hoyts faced and overcame thanks to their perseverance.