Apr 3, 2006 2:39 pm US/Eastern
Hoyt Brothers Cheer On Family For Their 25th Run
BOSTON (CBS4) ―
-
-
will be the 25th time the team of Dick and Rick Hoyt run the Boston Marathon.
CBS4
The 2006 Boston Marathon is almost here, and this year marks a very special occasion. It will be the 25th time the team of Dick and Rick Hoyt run the race. CBS4 is the only television news station following the Hoyts as they train for their historic run. Anyone who watches the Marathon knows about Team-Hoyt, but what about the brothers-Hoyt, 3 men with a unique bond.
The Hoyt's are familiar figures on the course. Dick Hoyt pushing his severely disabled son Rick 26.2 miles. What you probably don't know is that Dick has two other sons who are often involved behind the scenes and will be rooting Team-Hoyt on during their 25th. It's amazing that it's been 25 years. I'm not even 40 yet and that's when my father started," says Russ Hoyt. Rob Hoyt adds, "I think every time they finish, it's a win."
Rob Hoyt is the middle brother and Russ is the youngest. That's right Rick Hoyt is a big brother. "The thing you really want people to know about Rick is that he's in there. If you take the time to really give him the opportunity to explain, through his computer or talk to him, you get the sense of how strong a person he really is," says Russ. The Hoyt brothers describe growing ups as being, well, normal. According to Rob, "Growing up with a person with a severe disability, at an early age you just take it for granted. What? You don't have a kid in a wheelchair in your house?" Russ Hoyt adds, "When we played wiffle ball in the backyard it was like, OK how do the three of us do that. We'd go out and play street hockey and Rick would be the goalie, and that's how he actually lost the two front teeth. The blood was dripping down his chin, but we won, so there was a smile on his face."
Even though Rick's parents were advised to institutionalize Rick because of the extent of his disabilities, they rejected that advice. According to Rob Hoyt, "My family chose to bring Rick home and raise him the best we could, and a lot of people would be afraid to challenge life that way, and I think I'm a better person for it."
And on the eve of their 25th Boston Marathon, there's no end in sight. "We keep saying, Dad's getting older, he's not going to keep doing this, but he just seems to get faster and faster, stronger and stronger," says Rob..
Rick's not stopping either. "Rick's got the sore butt to talk about, but other than that he's ready to go!" says Russ Hoyt.
The Hoyts are dedicating their 25th Boston Marathon to raise money for Easter Seals, an organization that helps people with disabilities. If you'd like more information about the Hoyts and how to support Easter Seals, log onto this website:
www.teamhoyt25.org.
We'll continue following the Hoyts as they prepare for their historic run. You can see two more stories about them next week, on Monday and Friday during CBS4's 5pm newscast.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
Click to enlarge
Stumble It!
