Rick Hoyt, whose late father pushed him through decades of Boston Marathons and other races, has died at 61

Rick Hoyt, the man who was pushed in a wheelchair by his father in 32 Boston Marathon races, died Monday morning.

Hoyt, 61, died due to complications with his respiratory system, according to a family statement posted on The Hoyt Foundation’s Facebook.

“It is with profound sadness that the Hoyt Family announce the passing of our beloved brother and uncle, Rick Hoyt this morning,” the Hoyt family said in a statement Monday. “As so many knew, Rick along with our father, Dick, were icons in the road race and triathlon worlds for over 40 years and inspired millions of people with disabilities to believe in themselves, set goals and accomplish extraordinary things.”

Rick, who had cerebral palsy that left him a quadriplegic, and his father, Dick, who passed away in March 2021, ran their first Boston Marathon in 1980 with a custom racing chair for Rick, according to the Boston Athletic Association and became fixtures in the race until their last as a team in 2014.

The father and son began running in races in 1977 when Rick told his dad he wanted to participate in a 5-mile race to benefit a lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident, according to the Hoyt Foundation’s website.

Though he could not talk, Hoyt learned when he was 12 years old how to use his head and buttons mounted on his chair to type out sentences.

“I wanted to show this person that life goes on and he could still lead a productive life,” Hoyt told HBO’s “Real Sports” correspondent Mary Carillo in 2005. He said he told his father they had to run in the race.