The past few weeks have seen several prestigious marathons come and go. The Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon saw just over 24,000 runners come to downtown Oklahoma City. Just one week before the Memorial run the Boston Marathon saw 30,000 runners from all over 80 countries converge to compete in this historic race. With so many people running it is hard for individual runners to stand out, but as I witnessed these races once again I could not help but think of Rick and Dick Hoyt.
Neither of these two men are famous for winning a significant race. They are a father and son team who has competed in over 1,000 races over several years. When Rick was born he sustained a brain injury. The doctors told Dick and the family that they should put Rick into a nursing home and that he would never really function in life. The family refused to do that to their son. They included him in everything their family did. With the help of so many and the grace of God, Rick eventually graduated from high school and college. This was a great accomplishment for Rick who is severely paralyzed. Although Rick is mentally capable of many things, his body is not.
While Rick was in college he received the news that one of his classmates had been injured and paralyzed. The university was going to host a race to help raise money for the student’s medical bills. Rick contacted his father and told Dick, “Dad, I have to do something for him. I want to let him know that life goes on even though he’s paralyzed. I want to run in the race.” Dick and Rick entered their first race as “Team Hoyt.” Dick pushed Rick in a chair the entire race; an amazing accomplishment for a 40 year old man who was not a runner.
There was such joy in both father and son at the end of the race that they decided to do it again. They had a special chair built, and to date they have competed in over 155 5k races, 94 half marathons, 70 marathons, and 252 triathlons. That is an extraordinary accomplishment for anyone, much less a team like Rick and Dick Hoyt. In 2013 ‘Team Hoyt’ was honored with a beautiful bronze statue that is just a short distance from the starting line of the Boston Marathon.
So often, in the course of our life, we experience situations that harshly affect our future. Illness, loss of a job, the death of a loved one, and so many other obstacles arise in our lives, but they are not the end of the race. There are many hurdles, but if we keep our eyes on the finish line God, in grace, will keep us in the race. ‘Team Hoyt’ is a great example to us all that no matter our circumstances, we are still in the race and through faithful endurance we can achieve so much.
Rev. Keith King, Online Campus Pastor
