Racing helps Massachusetts father, disabled son forge bond

Photo by: AP Photo/The MetroWest Daily News, Allan Jung

In this April 8, 2013 photo, Dick Hoyt, left, talks with his son Rick as he wheels him next to a statue dedicated in their honor in front of the Center School in Hopkinton, Mass. Dick has pushed his son Rick, who is a quadriplegic and has cerebral palsy, along the 26.2-mile Boston Marathon route for 30 years. They plan to compete again in Monday's race.

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HOLLAND, Mass. (AP) The year was 1992, and Dick Hoyt and his son, Rick, wanted to run and bike across the country to raise funds for a charity for cerebral palsy a condition 30-year-old Rick developed at birth.

But the charity didn't want anything to do with a trek across the United States.

"And, uh, so this insurance company that was going to finance us backed out with four weeks to go before so we had to refinance our house here so we are able to pick up the expenses," Dick Hoyt recalled recently, sitting next to his quadriplegic son at their home in the hills of western Massachusetts.

Twenty-one years later, after running, biking and swimming together in some of the world's highest-profile competitions, 73-year-old father and 51-year-old son are among the most recognized faces at the granddaddy of them all the BostonMarathon.

One of the race's sponsors recently unveiled a life-size statue in their honor in the town where the race starts. Another backer, Timex, pushed so strongly to be identified with the duo that it would allow them to talk to The Associated Press only if the article mentioned the two are promoting the watch maker's social media campaign.

They've gone from being skeptics dogged by veiled references about abuse to visionaries, even heroes, mirroring how perception and treatment of people with disabilities have changed over the years.

"When we started running in road races and stuff, I used to get a lot of phone calls and letters from other families that had disabled people, and they were very upset with me; they said, 'What are you doing dragging the disabled son through all these races? Are you just looking for glory for yourself?'" Dick Hoyt said. "What they didn't realize: He was the one dragging me through all these races."

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Racing helps Massachusetts father, disabled son forge bond