Rick Hoyt was born in 1962 to Dick and Judy Hoyt. He is in a wheelchair because he's got cerebral palsy(小儿麻痹症). As a result, Rick couldn't walk or speak. There was no chance of Rick recovering, and little hope for Rick to live a "normal" life.
However, with great effort, Rick learned to write his thoughts using a special computer. When Rick was 15, he communicated to his dad that he wanted to take part in a five mile running race for charity. Dick was not a runner but agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair. That night, Rick told his father, "Dad, when I'm running, it feels like I'm nothandicapped."
After high school, Rick went to Boston University, and he graduated with a degree in Special Education in 1993. Rick is a happy and successful man; he has a job at the University of Boston, and he works in computer studies. Rick loves sports too, and he takes part in marathons and triathlons(铁人三项运动).
Triathlons? In the triathlon, people swim 4 kilometers, cycle 180 kilometers and then run a 42- kilometer marathon. Rick can't run, cycle or swim because he's in a wheelchair. So how can he take part in a triathlon?
Rick can take part because he does it with his father, Dick Hoyt. In the running, his father pushes him in his wheelchair. In the swimming, Rick lies in a small boat and Dick swims and pulls him. And in the cycling, Rick sits in a special seat on the front of Dick's bike. Together, they are "Team Hoyt."
Of course, Team Hoyt never wins the race. The winner of a triathlon usually finishes in about nine hours. The Hoyts usually take about 14 or 15 hours. "That's right." says Dick. "Rick and I never win. But we think that we always win."
Dick Hoyt, who became a familiar sight pushing his son Rick in a wheelchair at road races around the country, especially the Boston Marathon, died on Wednesday at his home in Holland, Mass. He was 80.
Rick was once asked, if he could give his father one thing, what would it be? Rick responded, "The thing I'd most like doing for my dad is that ________________"
