1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,460 This episode is brought to you by 511 Tactical, 2 00:00:02,460 --> 00:00:04,400 a company that I've used for over a decade 3 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:07,100 since they supplied the uniforms for Anaheim Fire 4 00:00:07,100 --> 00:00:08,920 when I worked out in California. 5 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:11,480 And they have partnered with the Behind the Shield podcast 6 00:00:11,480 --> 00:00:14,500 to offer you, the listener, 15% off, 7 00:00:14,500 --> 00:00:15,800 not just a single purchase, 8 00:00:15,800 --> 00:00:18,260 but an ongoing discount every time you shop 9 00:00:18,260 --> 00:00:20,400 at 511tactical.com. 10 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:22,200 And I will give you the discount code in a moment. 11 00:00:22,200 --> 00:00:25,640 I just wanna go on a kind of product focus for a second. 12 00:00:25,640 --> 00:00:28,640 In episode 125 of Behind the Shield podcast, 13 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:31,600 I spoke to podiatrist Dr. Mike Donato. 14 00:00:31,600 --> 00:00:33,960 And we discussed a concern that I've had, 15 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:37,120 which is the footwear for first responders. 16 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:37,960 If you're a firefighter, 17 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:39,400 obviously if we're doing an extrication, 18 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:40,700 if we're fighting fire, 19 00:00:40,700 --> 00:00:42,800 our bunker boots are definitely the best things. 20 00:00:42,800 --> 00:00:44,660 They offer a high level of protection. 21 00:00:44,660 --> 00:00:47,280 But the day-to-day calls, the EMS calls, 22 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:48,960 all those kind of areas, 23 00:00:48,960 --> 00:00:50,600 they are absolutely overkill, 24 00:00:50,600 --> 00:00:52,480 some of the boots that we are being given. 25 00:00:52,480 --> 00:00:54,400 And I wanted to find a kind of happy medium 26 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:56,080 between protection and comfort 27 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:59,640 as a lot of these heavy, heavy boots are causing 28 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:02,480 overuse injuries, knee pain, ankle pain, back pain. 29 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:04,840 And 511tactical has come up with a shoe 30 00:01:04,840 --> 00:01:07,000 called the Norris Sneaker. 31 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:09,800 Now this has the feel literally of a skate shoe. 32 00:01:09,800 --> 00:01:11,480 It's incredibly comfortable. 33 00:01:11,480 --> 00:01:13,080 It has puncture protection on the bottom. 34 00:01:13,080 --> 00:01:15,760 It has the toe protection on the front, 35 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:17,480 but they've taken a lot of the weight away 36 00:01:17,480 --> 00:01:19,200 and made it far more comfortable. 37 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:21,620 I think many of us will admit that as an alternative 38 00:01:21,620 --> 00:01:24,220 to duty boots, we turn to sneakers, 39 00:01:24,220 --> 00:01:26,200 which are also very comfortable, 40 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:27,540 really don't offer any protection. 41 00:01:27,540 --> 00:01:30,720 So this is a great happy medium between the two. 42 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:32,080 If you want to see this, as I said, 43 00:01:32,080 --> 00:01:35,260 it's called the Norris, N-O-R-R-I-S Sneaker. 44 00:01:35,260 --> 00:01:37,760 Go to 511tactical and that discount code 45 00:01:37,760 --> 00:01:42,760 that I was talking about is SHIELD15, S-H-I-E-L-D-1-5. 46 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:45,560 That will be applicable for all of your purchases. 47 00:01:45,560 --> 00:01:47,400 The only time that's not going to work 48 00:01:47,400 --> 00:01:49,720 is when they have an additional sale 49 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:50,860 that's actually going to be higher. 50 00:01:50,860 --> 00:01:53,820 So if they're offering a 20% or 25% off, 51 00:01:53,820 --> 00:01:55,440 obviously that 15 is going to be invalid 52 00:01:55,440 --> 00:01:57,280 because you're going to get even more off. 53 00:01:57,280 --> 00:01:59,760 So for the Norris sneaker and all the other things 54 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:01,960 that I'm going to showcase that I personally use, 55 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:03,440 I'm not going to start talking about things 56 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:05,000 that I don't use, but the products of theirs 57 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,040 that I think they're amazing, 58 00:02:07,040 --> 00:02:10,520 go to 511tactical, put in SHIELD15 59 00:02:10,520 --> 00:02:13,280 and save 15% every single time. 60 00:02:14,200 --> 00:02:17,120 Welcome to episode 293 of Behind the Shield Podcast. 61 00:02:17,120 --> 00:02:18,480 As always, my name's James Gearing, 62 00:02:18,480 --> 00:02:20,560 and this week it is my absolute honor 63 00:02:20,560 --> 00:02:23,660 to welcome on the show Dick Hoyt. 64 00:02:23,660 --> 00:02:25,240 Now for those of you with social media, 65 00:02:25,240 --> 00:02:28,840 you've probably seen videos of Dick pushing, pulling, 66 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:31,200 running with his son, Rick. 67 00:02:31,200 --> 00:02:32,760 Now Rick was born with cerebral palsy 68 00:02:32,760 --> 00:02:35,080 and some other medical issues that prevented him 69 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:37,560 from being able to move, being able to talk. 70 00:02:37,560 --> 00:02:41,320 But as you will hear, the pure love of a father 71 00:02:41,320 --> 00:02:44,680 enabled him to find the tools to be able to communicate, 72 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:48,200 and the pure love of the son led his father 73 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,960 into the world of racing, and at 80 years old, 74 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:55,640 they are still running, swimming, and cycling together, 75 00:02:55,640 --> 00:02:59,360 as well as inspiring a nation to run and do the same thing, 76 00:02:59,360 --> 00:03:02,320 and also help fundraise to enable other families 77 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:05,480 in a similar position to also get their child involved 78 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:07,520 in activities like this. 79 00:03:07,520 --> 00:03:09,520 So an incredible conversation, 80 00:03:09,520 --> 00:03:14,040 an incredible exhibition of pure family love, 81 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:15,920 and I can't wait for you to hear it. 82 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:18,680 Before we get to the episode, like I say, every single week, 83 00:03:18,680 --> 00:03:20,700 please just take a moment, go to whichever app 84 00:03:20,700 --> 00:03:24,040 you listen to this podcast on, subscribe to the show, 85 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:25,840 leave feedback, and leave a rating. 86 00:03:25,840 --> 00:03:27,360 The more five-star ratings we get, 87 00:03:27,360 --> 00:03:29,480 the more visible we become, and therefore, 88 00:03:29,480 --> 00:03:31,880 people needing to hear these incredible men and women 89 00:03:31,880 --> 00:03:33,600 are able to find this podcast. 90 00:03:33,600 --> 00:03:36,160 And then obviously taking social media, word of mouth, 91 00:03:36,160 --> 00:03:38,640 email, and sharing these as well. 92 00:03:38,640 --> 00:03:41,660 I can't stress enough how proud I am of this becoming 93 00:03:41,660 --> 00:03:44,720 a huge library of incredible information, 94 00:03:44,720 --> 00:03:47,860 incredibly inspiring stories, and all that I ask 95 00:03:47,860 --> 00:03:51,040 is you help me share these men and women's life stories, 96 00:03:51,040 --> 00:03:53,720 life work to the men and women on planet Earth 97 00:03:53,720 --> 00:03:55,120 who need to hear it. 98 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,960 So with that being said, I introduce to you Dick Hoyt. 99 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:00,240 Enjoy. 100 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:20,000 I would love to start at the very beginning. 101 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:23,160 I know that your early life is very interesting, 102 00:04:23,160 --> 00:04:26,440 and I'm sure it kind of plays into your role 103 00:04:26,440 --> 00:04:27,440 as a father as well. 104 00:04:27,440 --> 00:04:30,160 So where were you born, and what was your family 105 00:04:30,160 --> 00:04:32,120 dynamic? 106 00:04:32,120 --> 00:04:35,040 June 1st, 1940. 107 00:04:35,040 --> 00:04:37,760 I was one of 10 children. 108 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:41,360 We had five boys and five girls. 109 00:04:41,360 --> 00:04:41,860 Amazing. 110 00:04:41,860 --> 00:04:43,360 Whereabouts were you born? 111 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:49,400 We lived in a little town called North Reading, Mass, 112 00:04:49,400 --> 00:04:52,440 which hardly anybody knows about. 113 00:04:52,440 --> 00:04:52,960 Brilliant. 114 00:04:52,960 --> 00:04:55,240 So and you were kind of around the middle, is that right, 115 00:04:55,240 --> 00:04:56,960 of the 10 kids? 116 00:04:56,960 --> 00:04:57,600 Yes. 117 00:04:57,600 --> 00:04:58,600 Yep. 118 00:04:58,600 --> 00:04:58,960 All right. 119 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:00,760 Well, I mean, we're going to obviously hear 120 00:05:00,760 --> 00:05:04,680 about the incredible racing that you do later in your life. 121 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:07,920 As a young man, were you an athlete back then? 122 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:09,080 Yes, I was. 123 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:10,320 Yes. 124 00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:12,440 Yeah, when I went through high school, 125 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:15,880 I played all the sports that they had. 126 00:05:15,880 --> 00:05:18,400 And I was captain of the baseball team. 127 00:05:18,400 --> 00:05:23,920 I played baseball, tried off for the Yankees as a catcher, 128 00:05:23,920 --> 00:05:27,720 and I also played football captain of the football team, 129 00:05:27,720 --> 00:05:31,920 even though I was as small as I am and stuff like that. 130 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:33,560 But I just loved sports. 131 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:37,400 And actually, I wanted to be a boxer. 132 00:05:37,400 --> 00:05:41,120 And my father wanted me to be a boxer. 133 00:05:41,120 --> 00:05:45,040 And my mother said, no, if you become a boxer, 134 00:05:45,040 --> 00:05:46,320 you're going to break your nose. 135 00:05:46,320 --> 00:05:49,280 So instead, I played football and broke my nose four times. 136 00:05:49,280 --> 00:05:51,200 Ha ha ha. 137 00:05:51,200 --> 00:05:52,400 Why can't I attest to that? 138 00:05:52,400 --> 00:05:53,720 I'm sitting here right now talking to you 139 00:05:53,720 --> 00:05:55,080 with a broken nose myself. 140 00:05:55,080 --> 00:05:56,720 I did martial arts for quite a few years. 141 00:05:56,720 --> 00:05:59,840 So either way, it's going to get broken as a man probably. 142 00:05:59,840 --> 00:06:01,320 Yeah. 143 00:06:01,320 --> 00:06:04,640 All right, now, if my research is correct, 144 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,360 you met Judy when you were at high school, 145 00:06:07,360 --> 00:06:09,120 that you met her? 146 00:06:09,120 --> 00:06:10,040 Yes, I did. 147 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:10,880 Yes. 148 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:13,600 Yeah, I was captain of the football team, 149 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:15,720 and she was the head cheerleader. 150 00:06:15,720 --> 00:06:18,800 But I think it's beautiful, though, that you guys were 151 00:06:18,800 --> 00:06:19,720 high school sweethearts. 152 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:21,920 I think that's amazing. 153 00:06:21,920 --> 00:06:23,880 Yes, yes, it was. 154 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:25,160 It was great. 155 00:06:25,160 --> 00:06:30,000 I'll never forget going through school and playing sports 156 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:31,280 and being involved. 157 00:06:31,280 --> 00:06:33,840 I got involved in a lot of different activities 158 00:06:33,840 --> 00:06:35,640 in the school. 159 00:06:35,640 --> 00:06:38,440 Right, now, an observation I've made in America 160 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:40,520 is that you get these men and women that 161 00:06:40,520 --> 00:06:42,160 are playing at very high level. 162 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:44,240 But when they graduate high school or college, 163 00:06:44,240 --> 00:06:47,000 whatever level they got to, then it kind of tapers off. 164 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:48,520 Were you able to continue sports, 165 00:06:48,520 --> 00:06:50,880 or did you find yourself not playing 166 00:06:50,880 --> 00:06:53,880 once you were outside of college? 167 00:06:53,880 --> 00:06:56,920 No, actually, when I graduated high school, 168 00:06:56,920 --> 00:06:59,400 I went into the military. 169 00:06:59,400 --> 00:07:03,520 And I was in the military for 25 years. 170 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:07,720 OK, so then did you do a lot of running and PT early 171 00:07:07,720 --> 00:07:09,920 in your career there, too? 172 00:07:09,920 --> 00:07:11,040 Yes, I did. 173 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:14,080 Matter of fact, they put me in charge 174 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:17,760 of all the physical activities and running races 175 00:07:17,760 --> 00:07:20,040 and getting timed and races and stuff 176 00:07:20,040 --> 00:07:23,200 to keep the people that were in the military in good shape 177 00:07:23,200 --> 00:07:25,200 and stuff like that, yes. 178 00:07:25,200 --> 00:07:28,120 Right, OK, so then I guess lead me 179 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:32,080 into having Rick and kind of that journey up to it 180 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:35,080 and then the short time after. 181 00:07:35,080 --> 00:07:39,880 Yeah, I'd like to take it back to January 10, 1962. 182 00:07:39,880 --> 00:07:42,040 And that was Rick's birth. 183 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:45,800 And Rick was our very first baby. 184 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:49,800 And when Rick was being born, the doctor 185 00:07:49,800 --> 00:07:52,400 said, forget Rick, put him away. 186 00:07:52,400 --> 00:07:53,760 Put him in an institution. 187 00:07:53,760 --> 00:07:56,080 He's going to be nothing but a vegetable 188 00:07:56,080 --> 00:07:57,880 for the rest of his life. 189 00:07:57,880 --> 00:08:01,080 And we said, no, we're not going to put Rick away. 190 00:08:01,080 --> 00:08:03,200 We're going to bring Rick home and bring him up 191 00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:05,160 like any other child. 192 00:08:05,160 --> 00:08:06,960 And this is what we have done. 193 00:08:06,960 --> 00:08:11,240 Rick has been mainstreamed and included all of his life. 194 00:08:13,800 --> 00:08:19,440 Today, Rick is 58 years old. 195 00:08:19,440 --> 00:08:21,960 He's graduated from public high school. 196 00:08:21,960 --> 00:08:24,800 He's graduated from Boston University. 197 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:28,280 He lives all by himself in his own apartment. 198 00:08:28,280 --> 00:08:33,920 And Rick and I have competed in over 1,200 athletic events. 199 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:35,720 It's incredible, absolutely incredible. 200 00:08:35,720 --> 00:08:37,560 So I want to explore that whole thing. 201 00:08:37,560 --> 00:08:40,200 So as a firefighter paramedic, I've 202 00:08:40,200 --> 00:08:44,920 been to facilities where little boys and little girls have been, 203 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:46,120 as you put it, sent away. 204 00:08:46,120 --> 00:08:48,040 They're basically abandoned by their parents 205 00:08:48,040 --> 00:08:49,840 because they are special needs. 206 00:08:49,840 --> 00:08:52,280 And it's absolutely heartbreaking to watch 207 00:08:52,280 --> 00:08:55,960 because these kids exist in a facility. 208 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:59,960 They don't have any love from parents anymore. 209 00:08:59,960 --> 00:09:02,560 Well, yes, they do. 210 00:09:02,560 --> 00:09:05,640 Yes, they do because we have started the Team Hoyt 211 00:09:05,640 --> 00:09:06,960 organization. 212 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:10,400 And we have eight different states in the United States. 213 00:09:10,400 --> 00:09:14,800 And they call themself Team Hoyt in the name of the states. 214 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,880 And all of their children are being brought up 215 00:09:17,880 --> 00:09:20,920 so that they can be out competing and running. 216 00:09:20,920 --> 00:09:25,000 And we are building Team Hoyt running chairs. 217 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:29,120 And we compete all over the United States. 218 00:09:29,120 --> 00:09:31,400 And it's getting bigger and bigger. 219 00:09:31,400 --> 00:09:36,160 It's just so awesome what things are going on and happening. 220 00:09:36,160 --> 00:09:37,400 Yeah, and that's just it. 221 00:09:37,400 --> 00:09:41,080 So you guys are part of the solution to this. 222 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:45,080 Now, I'm involved in the CrossFit arena too. 223 00:09:45,080 --> 00:09:48,200 So in the last probably 10 years, 224 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:52,640 we've seen a lot of adaptive athletics coming out, 225 00:09:52,640 --> 00:09:54,960 especially from so many of the wounded warriors 226 00:09:54,960 --> 00:09:56,480 that are coming back. 227 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:59,120 But you, like several other guests 228 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:02,080 that I've had where they've had children or were children that 229 00:10:02,080 --> 00:10:06,560 were born with some sort of physical or mental defect, 230 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:09,880 you were way ahead of the curve with the adaptation 231 00:10:09,880 --> 00:10:13,360 as far as refusing to accept that it should 232 00:10:13,360 --> 00:10:15,240 be any different for Rick. 233 00:10:15,240 --> 00:10:17,800 So tell me what fueled your philosophy 234 00:10:17,800 --> 00:10:20,440 and what were some of the changes you made when he was young 235 00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:23,120 to ensure that he was able to try and experience the same 236 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:25,240 things that other kids were? 237 00:10:25,240 --> 00:10:27,560 Well, see, we told the doctors, no, we're 238 00:10:27,560 --> 00:10:29,200 going to bring Rick home and bring him up 239 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:30,840 like any other child. 240 00:10:30,840 --> 00:10:32,200 And this is what we have done. 241 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:36,280 Rick has been mainstreamed and included all of his life. 242 00:10:36,280 --> 00:10:41,640 And we got Rick involved in the schools and into sports 243 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:44,520 when he first started school. 244 00:10:44,520 --> 00:10:48,480 And it's amazing what he's been able to do. 245 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:51,560 As a matter of fact, when he got a little bit older, 246 00:10:51,560 --> 00:10:56,800 he saw me and he said, Dad, I want to do something. 247 00:10:56,800 --> 00:10:58,200 I want to run. 248 00:10:58,200 --> 00:11:03,280 And I would like to have you run in a road race with me. 249 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:05,720 And that's how it all started. 250 00:11:05,720 --> 00:11:09,680 And at the time, he was eight years old. 251 00:11:09,680 --> 00:11:15,360 Oh, I'm sorry, 15 years old when he asked me to do that. 252 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:19,400 And they were having a road race out in Westfield, Massachusetts 253 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:21,320 for a fellow that was injured. 254 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:23,520 He was paralyzed from the waist down. 255 00:11:23,520 --> 00:11:26,320 And Rick told me about the whole story. 256 00:11:26,320 --> 00:11:30,080 And he said, Dad, I have to do something for him. 257 00:11:30,080 --> 00:11:35,040 I want to let him know that life goes on even though he's 258 00:11:35,040 --> 00:11:36,600 disabled. 259 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:39,600 And so I told Rick, we will go down. 260 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:41,680 But we didn't have a chair. 261 00:11:41,680 --> 00:11:46,320 The only chair we had was Rick's wheelchair, which I know you've 262 00:11:46,320 --> 00:11:50,520 probably seen wheelchairs where they're very big and heavy. 263 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:52,520 But we went down to the race. 264 00:11:52,520 --> 00:11:54,080 It was a 5K race. 265 00:11:54,080 --> 00:11:59,400 Rick and I finished coming in next to last but not last. 266 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:02,560 And it was just amazing when we finished that. 267 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:07,800 And when Rick saw me afterwards, he said, Dad, when I'm running, 268 00:12:07,800 --> 00:12:13,560 it feels like my disability disappears, which was a very 269 00:12:13,560 --> 00:12:15,640 powerful message to me. 270 00:12:15,640 --> 00:12:19,840 If you think about it, somebody that's in a wheelchair can't 271 00:12:19,840 --> 00:12:22,480 talk, use their arms and their legs. 272 00:12:22,480 --> 00:12:24,720 And now they're out there running. 273 00:12:24,720 --> 00:12:27,800 And his disability disappears. 274 00:12:27,800 --> 00:12:31,040 He called himself Freebird because now he 275 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:35,520 was able to be out there running and competing 276 00:12:35,520 --> 00:12:38,680 with all the other races. 277 00:12:38,680 --> 00:12:39,640 That's incredible. 278 00:12:39,640 --> 00:12:42,120 Well, firstly, I want to point out, so there's a young 15-year-old 279 00:12:42,120 --> 00:12:45,280 boy who's thinking more about someone else than himself. 280 00:12:45,280 --> 00:12:50,440 So obviously, forgetting the physical disability side, you've 281 00:12:50,440 --> 00:12:55,320 raised a very kind, empathetic young man. 282 00:12:55,320 --> 00:12:56,400 Exactly. 283 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:57,560 Yes. 284 00:12:57,560 --> 00:12:58,120 Beautiful. 285 00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:02,160 Now, another thing to highlight as well, you weren't in great 286 00:13:02,160 --> 00:13:03,600 shape when you started running again. 287 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:06,720 You hadn't run for a while. 288 00:13:06,720 --> 00:13:07,400 Right. 289 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:09,440 That's exactly right. 290 00:13:09,440 --> 00:13:13,960 So after that first race, Rick said, Dad, when I'm running, 291 00:13:13,960 --> 00:13:17,200 it feels like my disability disappears. 292 00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:19,760 So I told Rick, if we're going to continue running, we're 293 00:13:19,760 --> 00:13:21,400 going to have to get a chair built. 294 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:23,720 So I wouldn't be hurting as badly. 295 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:29,880 So we went up to Crotchett Mountain in New Hampshire. 296 00:13:29,880 --> 00:13:31,800 And we met an engineer up there. 297 00:13:31,800 --> 00:13:34,760 We told him, well, you wanted for a chair. 298 00:13:34,760 --> 00:13:38,560 And he built this chair for us, and it had one wheel in the front 299 00:13:38,560 --> 00:13:40,800 and two wheels in the back. 300 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:44,480 And then when we got this, we come home, and Rick and I 301 00:13:44,480 --> 00:13:47,560 started to run in different races. 302 00:13:47,560 --> 00:13:51,360 And when we first started going to these races, nobody wanted 303 00:13:51,360 --> 00:13:53,800 anything to do with us. 304 00:13:53,800 --> 00:13:55,600 But we did not give up. 305 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:58,200 We went to these races. 306 00:13:58,200 --> 00:14:01,000 And we would be out there running. 307 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,680 And a lot of people come up to us and say, what are you doing 308 00:14:03,680 --> 00:14:06,160 dragging your son through all these races? 309 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:08,440 Are you just looking for glory? 310 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:10,680 I said, no, this is my son. 311 00:14:10,680 --> 00:14:13,760 And he loves to be out there running with everybody else. 312 00:14:13,760 --> 00:14:15,440 As you can see with this picture, 313 00:14:15,440 --> 00:14:19,200 I had a picture of him smiling with that big smile on his face 314 00:14:19,200 --> 00:14:21,440 as we were running. 315 00:14:21,440 --> 00:14:25,040 So we decided we wanted to run the Boston Marathon. 316 00:14:25,040 --> 00:14:28,880 So I applied through the Boston Athletic Association. 317 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:30,840 And they turned us down. 318 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:33,440 They said, no, you can't run with us because you're 319 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:36,040 different than anybody else. 320 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:39,640 But the Boston Marathon has a wheelchair division. 321 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:41,840 So we went and talked to them. 322 00:14:41,840 --> 00:14:43,920 And they said the same thing. 323 00:14:43,920 --> 00:14:46,520 But what they said was, if you want, 324 00:14:46,520 --> 00:14:49,880 you can line up behind us and run. 325 00:14:49,880 --> 00:14:53,800 And that's when we did our first Boston Marathon. 326 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:56,200 And it was very difficult at the time, 327 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:59,560 because I had never run in a marathon. 328 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:01,360 And we had a hard time. 329 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:04,880 And we did it very well. 330 00:15:04,880 --> 00:15:07,600 And then we had seven more miles to go. 331 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:09,920 So we stopped and rested for a while. 332 00:15:09,920 --> 00:15:16,280 But then we were able to finish our first Boston Marathon. 333 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:17,960 That's incredible, incredible. 334 00:15:17,960 --> 00:15:20,600 And it's the thing, when we look at, say, the Olympics now, 335 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:22,480 we have the entire Special Olympics. 336 00:15:22,480 --> 00:15:25,280 The generation that's coming up would make the assumption 337 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:29,280 that there's always been two Olympics, the able body 338 00:15:29,280 --> 00:15:31,440 and then the adaptive. 339 00:15:31,440 --> 00:15:33,720 But this is a very new thing. 340 00:15:33,720 --> 00:15:38,760 First Boston Marathon, we did in three hours and 18 minutes. 341 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:39,520 Really? 342 00:15:39,520 --> 00:15:40,360 My god. 343 00:15:40,360 --> 00:15:41,080 Yeah. 344 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:41,680 Incredible. 345 00:15:41,680 --> 00:15:43,280 Now, I'm saying on the Boston Marathon, 346 00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:44,680 just kind of fast forwarding time, 347 00:15:44,680 --> 00:15:47,080 you guys were actually at the Boston Marathon 348 00:15:47,080 --> 00:15:50,360 when we had the bombings in, is it 2013? 349 00:15:50,360 --> 00:15:51,240 Yes. 350 00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:54,480 So what was that experience like for you? 351 00:15:54,480 --> 00:15:56,800 Well, it was very difficult. We could 352 00:15:56,800 --> 00:16:01,400 stop with only a mile to go at the Boston Marathon. 353 00:16:01,400 --> 00:16:05,480 And now we have team hoists throughout the United States. 354 00:16:05,480 --> 00:16:07,160 And so there was quite a few people 355 00:16:07,160 --> 00:16:10,240 that were running with Rick and I. There was about 10 of us. 356 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:12,880 Then we got to that point, and the police stopped us. 357 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:14,160 And they said, that's it. 358 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:16,560 You can't go any further. 359 00:16:16,560 --> 00:16:19,880 And half the people said they knew how to walk from there 360 00:16:19,880 --> 00:16:21,640 to where the hotel was. 361 00:16:21,640 --> 00:16:24,400 And we had this gentleman that came out of the crowd. 362 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:27,200 And he says, Dick, I have a vehicle up there. 363 00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:29,600 If you want, you can use it. 364 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:31,440 And he says, if you can't, he says, 365 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:35,360 I will be happy to drive you and Rick to your hotel 366 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:37,080 where you were staying. 367 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:40,480 So he drove us to the hotel where we were staying. 368 00:16:40,480 --> 00:16:45,960 And it took him an hour to drive that one mile to the hotel. 369 00:16:45,960 --> 00:16:50,560 That's how crowded it was and everything that was going on 370 00:16:50,560 --> 00:16:52,200 with the bombing. 371 00:16:52,200 --> 00:16:55,080 But we got there at the hotel, and fortunately, 372 00:16:55,080 --> 00:16:59,000 all our parents who were sitting in the stands at the time 373 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:00,360 came back to the hotel. 374 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,720 And fortunately, none of them were injured. 375 00:17:03,720 --> 00:17:04,560 Well, thank goodness. 376 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,080 Yeah, and there was basically some more adaptive athletes 377 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:07,920 came out of that. 378 00:17:07,920 --> 00:17:09,720 Some of the men and women that lost limbs 379 00:17:09,720 --> 00:17:12,800 that I've seen are racing now again, 380 00:17:12,800 --> 00:17:14,640 but obviously with the prosthetics. 381 00:17:14,640 --> 00:17:17,200 So it's such a tragic, tragic event. 382 00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:20,560 But again, the resiliency of some of your community 383 00:17:20,560 --> 00:17:23,800 is so impressive. 384 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:26,280 Right, well, thank you, yes. 385 00:17:26,280 --> 00:17:28,720 Right, we're going back to Rick for a moment. 386 00:17:28,720 --> 00:17:32,760 So his actual condition sounds like a terrible word, 387 00:17:32,760 --> 00:17:37,000 but diagnosis is cerebral palsy and non-verbal spastic 388 00:17:37,000 --> 00:17:37,840 quadriplegia. 389 00:17:37,840 --> 00:17:42,440 So obviously, that takes away the control of the limbs 390 00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:44,200 and also his speech. 391 00:17:44,200 --> 00:17:49,360 Tell me how you guys were able to begin to communicate. 392 00:17:49,360 --> 00:17:52,360 Well, we knew Rick was very smart, 393 00:17:52,360 --> 00:17:56,120 and what we wanted to do was get him into public school. 394 00:17:56,120 --> 00:17:59,760 So we went and met some engineers in Boston, 395 00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:00,960 and we talked to them. 396 00:18:00,960 --> 00:18:05,560 We told them what we wanted, and we wanted him 397 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:08,520 to start public school where nobody wanted 398 00:18:08,520 --> 00:18:10,400 Rick to go to school. 399 00:18:10,400 --> 00:18:13,480 And so they built a computer system for us 400 00:18:13,480 --> 00:18:17,400 that Rick could control with his head. 401 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:21,800 And that's how Rick was able to get in and starting school. 402 00:18:21,800 --> 00:18:24,880 And he's still using these computers 403 00:18:24,880 --> 00:18:29,160 to do speaking engagements and traveling all over the place. 404 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:31,200 And he's graduated from high school. 405 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:33,880 He's graduated from Boston University. 406 00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:37,560 And he lives all by himself in his own apartment. 407 00:18:37,560 --> 00:18:40,920 And he writes letters to people and everything else. 408 00:18:40,920 --> 00:18:43,760 Absolutely incredible, especially when I read about 409 00:18:43,760 --> 00:18:44,800 graduating from college. 410 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:46,640 I mean, that's a huge achievement for someone 411 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:50,240 that has to use such a different, challenging way 412 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:52,240 of communication. 413 00:18:52,240 --> 00:18:57,040 Well, that was probably the toughest day of my life, 414 00:18:57,040 --> 00:18:59,240 because we lived out in Westfield, which 415 00:18:59,240 --> 00:19:03,560 was a good two-hour ride to Boston University. 416 00:19:03,560 --> 00:19:08,320 And for me to drive him in there and drop him off all 417 00:19:08,320 --> 00:19:10,840 by himself with people he didn't even 418 00:19:10,840 --> 00:19:14,240 know to attend Boston University. 419 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:18,720 And he ended up graduating from Boston University. 420 00:19:18,720 --> 00:19:19,480 Incredible. 421 00:19:19,480 --> 00:19:20,360 Absolutely incredible. 422 00:19:20,360 --> 00:19:22,680 So we see the video of you guys doing the races, which 423 00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:24,160 in itself is mind-blowing. 424 00:19:24,160 --> 00:19:26,160 And I want to get back to that again in a minute. 425 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:29,120 But these are the other parts that we don't know about, 426 00:19:29,120 --> 00:19:32,960 these incredible feats he had outside the races. 427 00:19:32,960 --> 00:19:37,040 What was it like for you when this new computer was built 428 00:19:37,040 --> 00:19:42,120 and you've really got to hear your son's thoughts and speech 429 00:19:42,120 --> 00:19:44,000 for the first time? 430 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:46,680 Yes, it was just awesome. 431 00:19:46,680 --> 00:19:51,080 Because we'd go to school with him, with his computer, 432 00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:55,160 and to see him be able to talk to the teachers and stuff 433 00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:59,800 like that, and answer questions, and do arithmetic and stuff 434 00:19:59,800 --> 00:20:04,240 like that on his computer going to school. 435 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:05,200 Incredible. 436 00:20:05,200 --> 00:20:08,320 All right, well then, so you're doing the running. 437 00:20:08,320 --> 00:20:12,160 So how did cycling and then swimming factor in 438 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:16,200 as you started going down that racing journey? 439 00:20:16,200 --> 00:20:21,000 Well, Rick and I, we love to be out there running and stuff 440 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:21,720 like that. 441 00:20:21,720 --> 00:20:23,240 And so I talked to Rick. 442 00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:27,560 I said, Rick, what about doing triathlons? 443 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:32,720 And at the time, I did not know how to swim or anything else. 444 00:20:32,720 --> 00:20:36,320 And so I told Rick, I said, we're going to start swimming. 445 00:20:36,320 --> 00:20:39,080 I'm going to have to buy a new house on a lake 446 00:20:39,080 --> 00:20:41,200 so I can learn how to swim. 447 00:20:41,200 --> 00:20:42,080 And that's what I did. 448 00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:44,560 I was in the process of changing jobs. 449 00:20:44,560 --> 00:20:47,560 I was moving from Westfield to Wellesley, Mass. 450 00:20:47,560 --> 00:20:51,080 And where I bought the house is in Holland, Massachusetts. 451 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:53,920 So that was halfway to Wellesley. 452 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:56,120 And it was just so awesome. 453 00:20:56,120 --> 00:20:57,920 Because I'll never forget the first day 454 00:20:57,920 --> 00:21:01,480 I came down into the lake, and I jumped in the water 455 00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:03,040 and swam a mile. 456 00:21:03,040 --> 00:21:07,400 And that's how I started doing my training and stuff like that. 457 00:21:07,400 --> 00:21:10,920 So it was really nice to be able to live in a lake, 458 00:21:10,920 --> 00:21:12,600 and I still live here. 459 00:21:12,600 --> 00:21:15,280 And I love to be here on the lake. 460 00:21:15,280 --> 00:21:19,520 And that's what got us going into triathlons. 461 00:21:19,520 --> 00:21:24,600 And I also, we had to come up with a different type of bike. 462 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:27,040 And people used to go crazy. 463 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:30,320 Because what I did is I had a bike made, 464 00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:36,280 and I put a seat in front of the bike where Rick would sit. 465 00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:39,480 And I would drive bike with him all over the place. 466 00:21:39,480 --> 00:21:41,800 And people would go crazy as we drove 467 00:21:41,800 --> 00:21:46,080 through these different towns and places and stuff like that. 468 00:21:46,080 --> 00:21:49,520 Now, when Rick was going to school and college, 469 00:21:49,520 --> 00:21:51,440 I couldn't train with him. 470 00:21:51,440 --> 00:21:55,960 So I used to take a 96-pound bag of cement 471 00:21:55,960 --> 00:21:58,960 and put it in the front of the chair 472 00:21:58,960 --> 00:22:02,760 and use that to do my training with Rick. 473 00:22:02,760 --> 00:22:06,320 Because at that time, that's what he weighed. 474 00:22:06,320 --> 00:22:08,520 That's amazing, absolutely amazing. 475 00:22:08,520 --> 00:22:10,240 And I'm sure you've got so many funny looks. 476 00:22:10,240 --> 00:22:12,680 Why don't you just put it in the car, 477 00:22:12,680 --> 00:22:15,160 take it to the building site? 478 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:19,920 Yeah, well, people, they still look at us and stuff like that 479 00:22:19,920 --> 00:22:22,920 and say, oh, jeez, what are they doing? 480 00:22:22,920 --> 00:22:24,240 Yeah. 481 00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:27,560 So you mentioned about him feeling 482 00:22:27,560 --> 00:22:31,840 like he was running when you were pushing the chair. 483 00:22:31,840 --> 00:22:34,480 What was his feeling when he's being pulled? 484 00:22:34,480 --> 00:22:36,920 Because you were pulling him in a dinghy, a rubber dinghy, 485 00:22:36,920 --> 00:22:38,320 is that right? 486 00:22:38,320 --> 00:22:41,160 Yes, a boat, an inflatable boat. 487 00:22:41,160 --> 00:22:43,320 Yeah, so that must have been amazing for him 488 00:22:43,320 --> 00:22:47,120 to be in a body of water, which must be very, very new for him 489 00:22:47,120 --> 00:22:48,720 as far as being on top. 490 00:22:48,720 --> 00:22:50,440 What did he tell you after the first time 491 00:22:50,440 --> 00:22:52,840 you guys swam like that? 492 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:54,760 He really enjoyed it. 493 00:22:54,760 --> 00:22:58,640 He thought it was a lot of fun because he was out there. 494 00:22:58,640 --> 00:23:01,000 And you can see all the birds flying around and stuff 495 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:05,200 like that and see other people out there in the lake, 496 00:23:05,200 --> 00:23:08,680 kayaking and water skiing and stuff like that. 497 00:23:08,680 --> 00:23:13,360 He really enjoyed going all around the lake and stuff. 498 00:23:13,360 --> 00:23:15,560 And now we have a boat and stuff like that. 499 00:23:15,560 --> 00:23:19,600 So we take him out on the boat and do as much as we can 500 00:23:19,600 --> 00:23:22,600 with him in the boat and in the water. 501 00:23:22,600 --> 00:23:23,280 Amazing. 502 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:26,200 So it seems to me like your whole philosophy was never, 503 00:23:26,200 --> 00:23:27,120 oh, we can't. 504 00:23:27,120 --> 00:23:29,120 It's just figuring out, well, how can we? 505 00:23:29,120 --> 00:23:33,680 Which I think a lot of people need to adhere to that philosophy. 506 00:23:33,680 --> 00:23:37,600 Well, we made it so Rick could get involved in everything 507 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:40,280 that his other two brothers got involved in, 508 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:42,720 that he was just like them. 509 00:23:42,720 --> 00:23:45,520 It's just that he couldn't do it on his own. 510 00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:49,720 So we found ways of doing it with him. 511 00:23:49,720 --> 00:23:50,120 Yeah. 512 00:23:50,120 --> 00:23:53,240 Well, then one story I read about was when they would wheel 513 00:23:53,240 --> 00:23:54,600 him around in hockey games. 514 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:55,080 Is that right? 515 00:23:55,080 --> 00:23:56,920 And he'd be the goalkeeper? 516 00:23:56,920 --> 00:23:57,960 Oh, yeah. 517 00:23:57,960 --> 00:24:01,360 Yeah, he used to love that because we live right on the lake. 518 00:24:01,360 --> 00:24:04,040 And like I said, we'd play hockey out there in the lake. 519 00:24:04,040 --> 00:24:06,440 And we'd make him the goalkeeper. 520 00:24:06,440 --> 00:24:08,600 And he used to get a piece of plywood 521 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:10,960 and put it in front of the neck so they couldn't shoot. 522 00:24:10,960 --> 00:24:14,320 He would hit him in the back. 523 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:15,040 Brilliant. 524 00:24:15,040 --> 00:24:17,200 Brilliant. 525 00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:19,440 Well, going to your military career, 526 00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:23,280 so what was your main function there? 527 00:24:23,280 --> 00:24:25,480 And then how did you handle transitioning out? 528 00:24:25,480 --> 00:24:27,520 Something I ask a lot of the members of the military 529 00:24:27,520 --> 00:24:30,160 that get on the show. 530 00:24:30,160 --> 00:24:35,720 Well, I started as an enlisted man in the military. 531 00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:37,360 And I really enjoyed it. 532 00:24:37,360 --> 00:24:40,920 I loved being involved in the military. 533 00:24:40,920 --> 00:24:44,960 And like I said, I spent 25 years in Edmonton 534 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:49,000 that I ended up retiring from the military. 535 00:24:49,000 --> 00:24:53,560 And I was able to take with me in a lot of different things 536 00:24:53,560 --> 00:24:57,480 that I did when I was in the military and stuff like that. 537 00:24:57,480 --> 00:25:01,800 But I really enjoyed it. 538 00:25:01,800 --> 00:25:07,200 I'm just so happy that I was able to be part of the military 539 00:25:07,200 --> 00:25:10,000 in the United States. 540 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:10,560 Absolutely. 541 00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:13,920 And did you have any struggles, though, when you left? 542 00:25:13,920 --> 00:25:16,800 Because I know some people, when they leave the fire service, 543 00:25:16,800 --> 00:25:20,000 the police service, the military, that transition period 544 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:22,160 is a little rough because they've always identified 545 00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:24,400 as a soldier, an airman. 546 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:26,480 So what was it like when you retired out? 547 00:25:26,480 --> 00:25:28,040 Were there any negative sides? 548 00:25:28,040 --> 00:25:31,680 Or was it just a positive element that you had to be with him? 549 00:25:31,680 --> 00:25:33,200 It was very positive. 550 00:25:33,200 --> 00:25:36,320 It was very positive because I met a lot of people. 551 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:37,760 And we go along together. 552 00:25:37,760 --> 00:25:40,560 And as a matter of fact, every three months, 553 00:25:40,560 --> 00:25:44,000 like six or seven of us, we get together every month 554 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:47,720 and go out to have lunch and talk about the old times 555 00:25:47,720 --> 00:25:52,000 and what we did when we were in the military. 556 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:53,680 Brilliant. 557 00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:57,120 And matter of fact, in the summertime, I have them come 558 00:25:57,120 --> 00:25:59,480 down here on the lake. 559 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:02,240 And matter of fact, I used to have a restaurant 560 00:26:02,240 --> 00:26:04,400 that I bought on the lake. 561 00:26:04,400 --> 00:26:09,280 And what we do now is we come down and they order the food 562 00:26:09,280 --> 00:26:10,760 that they want to have. 563 00:26:10,760 --> 00:26:13,280 And then we go out on a boat. 564 00:26:13,280 --> 00:26:17,440 Naturally, these people want a beer or two. 565 00:26:17,440 --> 00:26:20,440 And Kathy, she's at home here. 566 00:26:20,440 --> 00:26:23,680 And we get out on the lake and we get about halfway 567 00:26:23,680 --> 00:26:25,720 through the lake on the boat. 568 00:26:25,720 --> 00:26:28,720 And we call Kathy up and she orders the food 569 00:26:28,720 --> 00:26:30,200 from the restaurant. 570 00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:33,360 And then we come back and we come up on the deck here. 571 00:26:33,360 --> 00:26:37,120 And then we have to eat together and all that. 572 00:26:37,120 --> 00:26:39,600 And we do that every year. 573 00:26:39,600 --> 00:26:40,080 Brilliant. 574 00:26:40,080 --> 00:26:42,440 Yeah, I think that's an area that I hear a lot of people 575 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:43,320 that are doing well. 576 00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:46,840 They have another tribe, another group of people. 577 00:26:46,840 --> 00:26:49,800 And obviously, I'm sure Team Hoyt is your group. 578 00:26:49,800 --> 00:26:53,520 But then it's keeping in contact with what they did before. 579 00:26:53,520 --> 00:26:56,160 So yeah, that annual lake trip sounds 580 00:26:56,160 --> 00:26:58,720 like it would be amazing. 581 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:00,480 Yes, it really is. 582 00:27:00,480 --> 00:27:04,640 Yeah, they just love it out here. 583 00:27:04,640 --> 00:27:05,600 Yeah, I'm sure. 584 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:07,160 I mean, nature's so healing as well. 585 00:27:07,160 --> 00:27:08,040 So adding that to it. 586 00:27:08,040 --> 00:27:10,280 And some of them, especially if they live in the city, 587 00:27:10,280 --> 00:27:12,520 they probably look forward to it every year. 588 00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:13,280 Yes, they do. 589 00:27:13,280 --> 00:27:17,760 Because none of them actually live on the lake except for me. 590 00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:18,440 Right. 591 00:27:18,440 --> 00:27:20,560 Now, just touching on this, because this is something 592 00:27:20,560 --> 00:27:23,480 I've never really spoken to anyone about before. 593 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:26,280 So with Rick obviously being completely cognizant, 594 00:27:26,280 --> 00:27:29,840 getting all these amazing educational achievements, 595 00:27:29,840 --> 00:27:33,520 being an athlete, but having limitations physically 596 00:27:33,520 --> 00:27:35,680 to be able to express himself, does he ever 597 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:38,880 have periods of mental health challenges? 598 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:45,680 And if so, how does he overcome it from his perspective? 599 00:27:45,680 --> 00:27:48,040 Rick can come over everything. 600 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,800 It's just unbelievable to see. 601 00:27:51,800 --> 00:27:55,160 Now, he lives all by himself. 602 00:27:59,040 --> 00:28:03,760 But he's had a lot of problems in the last couple of years 603 00:28:03,760 --> 00:28:07,320 with the flu and pneumonia. 604 00:28:07,320 --> 00:28:14,520 But he's in a home now where he has his own room and all that. 605 00:28:14,520 --> 00:28:17,400 And they just love him in there because he 606 00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:19,800 has a computer that he talks with. 607 00:28:19,800 --> 00:28:23,520 And they love to go in and be able to talk with him. 608 00:28:23,520 --> 00:28:26,160 And they have a lot of company there. 609 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:29,040 And so he's one of the highlights of this place 610 00:28:29,040 --> 00:28:31,480 that he is living now. 611 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:35,320 And fortunately, he's only like 12 miles away 612 00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:36,360 from where I live. 613 00:28:36,360 --> 00:28:38,480 And so I get to see him quite a bit. 614 00:28:38,480 --> 00:28:42,080 But right now, with everything that's going on, 615 00:28:42,080 --> 00:28:45,440 because of my age, I'm 80 years old, 616 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:48,160 they won't let me go visit him. 617 00:28:48,160 --> 00:28:49,160 You follow me? 618 00:28:49,160 --> 00:28:49,760 Oh, yes, sir. 619 00:28:49,760 --> 00:28:51,040 Yeah. 620 00:28:51,040 --> 00:28:54,600 If you look at what's going on, the older you get, 621 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:57,040 the more they want to set you out of the way 622 00:28:57,040 --> 00:28:58,200 from everything else. 623 00:28:58,200 --> 00:29:00,560 They're not letting anybody go to his home. 624 00:29:00,560 --> 00:29:04,400 And right now, they are not letting anybody 625 00:29:04,400 --> 00:29:06,080 go and visit him. 626 00:29:06,080 --> 00:29:06,600 Yeah. 627 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:08,880 Now, my grandmother is 102. 628 00:29:08,880 --> 00:29:10,760 And it's the same thing. 629 00:29:10,760 --> 00:29:13,800 She's isolated in her home at the moment, too. 630 00:29:13,800 --> 00:29:15,120 And I understand it. 631 00:29:15,120 --> 00:29:17,080 There is a lot of sense to it. 632 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:21,280 But I think the sad byproduct is that it's keeping people away 633 00:29:21,280 --> 00:29:24,840 from each other, people that love to spend time together. 634 00:29:24,840 --> 00:29:25,360 Right. 635 00:29:25,360 --> 00:29:26,640 Yeah. 636 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:30,720 But see, we do a lot with Rick, because where he's staying, 637 00:29:30,720 --> 00:29:33,280 he has his own vehicle. 638 00:29:33,280 --> 00:29:37,720 And so me and my youngest son, we go over and visit him 639 00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:39,640 every weekend or wherever we can. 640 00:29:39,640 --> 00:29:42,680 And we take him bowling, and we take him to the movies, 641 00:29:42,680 --> 00:29:44,400 and all different things. 642 00:29:44,400 --> 00:29:46,200 So we really have a good time. 643 00:29:46,200 --> 00:29:49,840 And we're able to spend that with Rick and for him 644 00:29:49,840 --> 00:29:52,640 to spend the time with us. 645 00:29:52,640 --> 00:29:53,120 All right. 646 00:29:53,120 --> 00:29:55,000 Well, I've got one more area I want to explore. 647 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:56,600 And then we'll do some wrap up questions 648 00:29:56,600 --> 00:29:58,000 and obviously talk about Team Hoyt. 649 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:00,240 But you are 80. 650 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:03,640 You're still not only racing, but pushing Rick. 651 00:30:03,640 --> 00:30:06,520 So adding a lot more exertion to what would normally 652 00:30:06,520 --> 00:30:09,000 be a run, a bike, or a swim. 653 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:12,240 How have you managed to take care of your body 654 00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:16,840 and perform so highly for so many years? 655 00:30:16,840 --> 00:30:19,080 Yeah, I've been very, very fortunate. 656 00:30:19,080 --> 00:30:22,880 But I keep myself in good shape. 657 00:30:22,880 --> 00:30:25,200 I never give up and stuff like that. 658 00:30:25,200 --> 00:30:28,920 But unfortunately, I was in an automobile accident. 659 00:30:28,920 --> 00:30:31,320 And I was all by myself. 660 00:30:31,320 --> 00:30:35,080 And what happened was I was driving home from the club 661 00:30:35,080 --> 00:30:36,480 where I work out. 662 00:30:36,480 --> 00:30:39,560 And I got halfway home. 663 00:30:39,560 --> 00:30:41,360 And I fainted in the car. 664 00:30:41,360 --> 00:30:44,640 And the car went off the road and crashed. 665 00:30:44,640 --> 00:30:51,480 So I'm in the process of recovering from that right now. 666 00:30:51,480 --> 00:30:54,960 And I had a heart issue and stuff like that. 667 00:30:54,960 --> 00:30:58,040 So it was just unbelievable what happened. 668 00:30:58,040 --> 00:30:58,560 Yeah. 669 00:30:58,560 --> 00:31:00,160 Well, I'm sorry to hear about that. 670 00:31:00,160 --> 00:31:02,000 But I'm glad that you were OK. 671 00:31:02,000 --> 00:31:05,200 Because that's the thing people don't think about behind 672 00:31:05,200 --> 00:31:06,560 the wheel is if we have a seizure, 673 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:11,160 if we have a heart arrhythmia, or a minor stroke. 674 00:31:11,160 --> 00:31:14,520 I mean, all those things can lead to a very, very bad wreck 675 00:31:14,520 --> 00:31:15,040 on the road. 676 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:17,680 So I'm glad that you were OK. 677 00:31:17,680 --> 00:31:18,280 Yeah. 678 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:20,360 Well, I learned a lot from it too. 679 00:31:20,360 --> 00:31:24,600 Because when this was happening, I could feel it. 680 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:27,560 And I was going off the road. 681 00:31:27,560 --> 00:31:29,800 And if I had just turned the key off, 682 00:31:29,800 --> 00:31:33,120 it never would have happened and stuff like that. 683 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:35,640 So I have learned a lot from it. 684 00:31:35,640 --> 00:31:39,360 So I can talk to other people if it ever happens to them, 685 00:31:39,360 --> 00:31:41,280 what's the best thing to do? 686 00:31:41,280 --> 00:31:42,600 Absolutely. 687 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:44,560 All right, well, I'm going to spend some time exploring 688 00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:45,440 the Hoyt Foundation. 689 00:31:45,440 --> 00:31:48,680 So tell me how it started and then how people 690 00:31:48,680 --> 00:31:51,680 can help contribute. 691 00:31:51,680 --> 00:31:55,240 We started the Hoyt Foundation years and years ago. 692 00:31:55,240 --> 00:31:57,800 And it's just getting bigger and bigger. 693 00:31:57,800 --> 00:31:59,640 It's growing and growing. 694 00:31:59,640 --> 00:32:04,240 I think I told you we got eight different states in the United 695 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:04,920 States. 696 00:32:04,920 --> 00:32:07,720 And matter of fact, I got a call from Russia. 697 00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:11,040 And they want to start a Team Hoyt over there. 698 00:32:11,040 --> 00:32:14,920 And they're building Team Hoyt running chairs now. 699 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:18,040 And Russia is buying the Team Hoyt running chairs 700 00:32:18,040 --> 00:32:19,600 and competing. 701 00:32:19,600 --> 00:32:22,160 And Ireland is an other one. 702 00:32:22,160 --> 00:32:25,400 They're unbelievable, these different countries 703 00:32:25,400 --> 00:32:30,560 that want to get involved in what Rick and I are doing. 704 00:32:30,560 --> 00:32:33,320 As you can see, it's getting bigger and bigger 705 00:32:33,320 --> 00:32:34,840 in the United States. 706 00:32:34,840 --> 00:32:37,400 And I think it's going to get bigger and bigger 707 00:32:37,400 --> 00:32:39,400 in all these other states. 708 00:32:39,400 --> 00:32:44,000 Rick and I have competed in Ironman triathlons in Canada, 709 00:32:44,000 --> 00:32:46,600 in Germany, in Japan. 710 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:50,320 And we went to El Salvador when we were at war. 711 00:32:50,320 --> 00:32:56,480 Now, all these races we do, it's just Rick and I. We go out 712 00:32:56,480 --> 00:33:00,160 and we call up and we make our own arrangements 713 00:33:00,160 --> 00:33:05,160 and to compete in all these races all over the world. 714 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:08,720 We don't have anybody out there to do it for us. 715 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:12,600 So we do everything ourselves. 716 00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:16,240 I'm sorry, Kathy just said she does it. 717 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:17,400 She does. 718 00:33:17,400 --> 00:33:18,080 Julie noted. 719 00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:19,080 She does. 720 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:22,320 She makes, you know, she calls all of these visitors 721 00:33:22,320 --> 00:33:25,120 and stuff and sets everything up. 722 00:33:25,120 --> 00:33:25,880 Yeah. 723 00:33:25,880 --> 00:33:28,280 If it wasn't for her, we probably 724 00:33:28,280 --> 00:33:30,720 wouldn't be out there doing all this stuff. 725 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:33,400 Yeah, so it's a team, the three of you. 726 00:33:33,400 --> 00:33:36,440 Like she said, we do it running. 727 00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:38,640 And she does all the work. 728 00:33:38,640 --> 00:33:40,320 So how can people contribute? 729 00:33:40,320 --> 00:33:42,480 So let me just kind of backtrack. 730 00:33:42,480 --> 00:33:44,160 So basically what you guys are doing, 731 00:33:44,160 --> 00:33:46,600 obviously you guys are racing, but you're also 732 00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:50,880 enabling other families with family members that 733 00:33:50,880 --> 00:33:53,360 are affected to also be able to race now. 734 00:33:53,360 --> 00:33:54,840 Is that correct? 735 00:33:54,840 --> 00:33:58,280 That is exactly correct, yes. 736 00:33:58,280 --> 00:33:59,000 Yes. 737 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:01,320 And the building team, we run the chairs 738 00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:03,640 and we get all these different families 739 00:34:03,640 --> 00:34:05,680 from all different states. 740 00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:11,440 And we compete in different races at different times. 741 00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:14,040 And a lot of times now, they're starting 742 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:16,840 to spread out with all these different states. 743 00:34:16,840 --> 00:34:20,160 And they'll come and compete in different states 744 00:34:20,160 --> 00:34:23,680 so we can all get together and compete together. 745 00:34:23,680 --> 00:34:27,200 And I just feel it's going to get larger and larger 746 00:34:27,200 --> 00:34:29,560 as the years go on. 747 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:32,480 If people donate, they're basically 748 00:34:32,480 --> 00:34:35,320 helping you guys to make the chairs and organize the races 749 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:36,800 and get more people involved. 750 00:34:36,800 --> 00:34:38,520 Is that right? 751 00:34:38,520 --> 00:34:43,440 Yes, but most of the people, they have to buy the chairs. 752 00:34:43,440 --> 00:34:47,360 We try to help them out, but we can't help all the people out 753 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:48,360 as far as paying. 754 00:34:48,360 --> 00:34:51,120 Because we don't make the chairs. 755 00:34:51,120 --> 00:34:53,240 The people that make them call them the team 756 00:34:53,240 --> 00:34:55,120 Hoyt running chairs. 757 00:34:55,120 --> 00:34:59,320 But they're doing that and they can't do it for nothing. 758 00:34:59,320 --> 00:35:00,320 Yeah, absolutely. 759 00:35:00,320 --> 00:35:04,960 So we don't make any money off of anything. 760 00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:09,000 And where can people find Team Hoyt online? 761 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:10,800 We got our own website. 762 00:35:10,800 --> 00:35:14,560 It's a big website, teamhoyt.com. 763 00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:15,040 Brilliant. 764 00:35:15,040 --> 00:35:17,040 And I will put the link to that on the web page 765 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:19,080 that goes with this episode. 766 00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:23,840 Well, Dick, you guys also wrote a book, It's Only a Mountain. 767 00:35:23,840 --> 00:35:27,360 So tell me about that experience. 768 00:35:27,360 --> 00:35:30,600 That was unbelievable, because I'm not 769 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:34,120 one of those guys that write books and stuff like that. 770 00:35:34,120 --> 00:35:38,200 But I met a guy that was a runner and stuff like that 771 00:35:38,200 --> 00:35:39,720 down in Florida. 772 00:35:39,720 --> 00:35:43,520 So he came up here and we ran some races together. 773 00:35:43,520 --> 00:35:47,200 And then I went down and visited him in Florida. 774 00:35:47,200 --> 00:35:49,640 And so we were able to write that book. 775 00:35:49,640 --> 00:35:53,400 But since then, Rick has written a couple of books, too. 776 00:35:53,400 --> 00:35:57,640 So we get a lot of books and we do have DVDs out 777 00:35:57,640 --> 00:36:02,480 that are very powerful that a lot of people buy and use 778 00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:06,760 to inspire and motivate themselves to get out there 779 00:36:06,760 --> 00:36:09,560 doing what Rick and I are doing. 780 00:36:09,560 --> 00:36:11,480 Yeah, well, I can tell you right now, 781 00:36:11,480 --> 00:36:15,360 one of the videos that went around social media 782 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:17,560 when I was first made aware of you guys 783 00:36:17,560 --> 00:36:21,000 was incredibly inspirational, absolutely inspirational. 784 00:36:21,000 --> 00:36:23,920 So I can imagine that the books and the DVDs 785 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:27,160 would really light a fire up a lot of our rear ends. 786 00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:31,000 So I'll make sure that I put all those on the website as well. 787 00:36:31,000 --> 00:36:32,880 Right, that would be awesome. 788 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:33,200 Brilliant. 789 00:36:33,200 --> 00:36:36,560 All right, well, then one more question before I just 790 00:36:36,560 --> 00:36:38,720 make sure we know where we can find you online. 791 00:36:38,720 --> 00:36:42,080 What do you do to decompress when you're not racing? 792 00:36:42,080 --> 00:36:45,200 Is there something else that you love to do? 793 00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:49,760 Yes, I go to the gym a lot, because I love to go to the gym 794 00:36:49,760 --> 00:36:51,080 and I love to work out. 795 00:36:51,080 --> 00:36:54,840 I love to keep my body in condition 796 00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:57,520 so I can go anything and do anything 797 00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:00,600 that I want to do at any time. 798 00:37:00,600 --> 00:37:02,600 I've had that little problem, like I said, 799 00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:04,320 with the automobile accident. 800 00:37:04,320 --> 00:37:08,200 But hopefully within the next couple of at least another month 801 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:10,840 or so I can get out and start running again. 802 00:37:10,840 --> 00:37:15,560 The doctors did say that I will be back running and stuff. 803 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:17,320 I don't doubt it for a second. 804 00:37:17,320 --> 00:37:18,560 Now, that just meant this one thing 805 00:37:18,560 --> 00:37:20,000 that I meant to ask you earlier as well. 806 00:37:20,000 --> 00:37:23,000 Is there anything in your childhood 807 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:25,960 or even your earlier military training 808 00:37:25,960 --> 00:37:28,080 that you attribute to your mental toughness? 809 00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:32,680 Because, of course, you were physically 810 00:37:32,680 --> 00:37:34,640 able to do these races when it came to the point, 811 00:37:34,640 --> 00:37:36,480 but the first race you did, you'd never run. 812 00:37:36,480 --> 00:37:38,400 When you did your triathlon, you never swam. 813 00:37:38,400 --> 00:37:41,840 So clearly there's a huge element of mental toughness. 814 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:43,440 Is there anything when you look back 815 00:37:43,440 --> 00:37:45,840 that you attribute that to? 816 00:37:45,840 --> 00:37:49,880 Well, I was one of 10 in a family. 817 00:37:49,880 --> 00:37:52,920 And I got involved in everything when I was very young, 818 00:37:52,920 --> 00:37:55,120 in the first grade and stuff like that. 819 00:37:55,120 --> 00:37:57,360 I'd come home and I'd go out in the woods 820 00:37:57,360 --> 00:38:00,960 and chop down trees and branches so we could have a fire going 821 00:38:00,960 --> 00:38:03,040 in our furnace and stuff like that. 822 00:38:03,040 --> 00:38:06,680 And when I was six years old, I used to go down and milk cows. 823 00:38:06,680 --> 00:38:08,400 And I'd get $0.10 a day, and they'd 824 00:38:08,400 --> 00:38:12,240 give me a little pint of milk to take home and stuff like that. 825 00:38:12,240 --> 00:38:16,120 But I started at a very young age of getting involved 826 00:38:16,120 --> 00:38:20,360 in a lot of things and starting to making money. 827 00:38:20,360 --> 00:38:23,520 When I was 16 years old, I had all the money 828 00:38:23,520 --> 00:38:26,760 that I could go out and buy a car and all of that stuff. 829 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:28,600 But I'm just one of those guys that 830 00:38:28,600 --> 00:38:32,800 like to be out there working and do everything the hard way. 831 00:38:32,800 --> 00:38:36,160 But I love doing it, and it keeps me in great shape. 832 00:38:36,160 --> 00:38:38,920 And I get to meet a lot of great people. 833 00:38:38,920 --> 00:38:41,680 Yeah, well, I mean, I just want to say thank you so much. 834 00:38:41,680 --> 00:38:45,280 You and Rick have literally inspired, 835 00:38:45,280 --> 00:38:48,160 I wouldn't say a nation, obviously the globe. 836 00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:51,280 But I think as a parent, you've inspired me, 837 00:38:51,280 --> 00:38:53,160 and I'm sure so many people listening as well, 838 00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:57,920 because you refuse to let other people define 839 00:38:57,920 --> 00:38:58,960 your love for your child. 840 00:38:58,960 --> 00:39:00,200 And I think that's admirable. 841 00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:03,120 And obviously, it's clearly paid huge dividends 842 00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:04,280 in both your lives. 843 00:39:04,280 --> 00:39:06,480 But I just, again, want to say thank you 844 00:39:06,480 --> 00:39:09,320 for being so generous with your time and telling your story, 845 00:39:09,320 --> 00:39:14,040 even amidst this bizarre time that we're in right now. 846 00:39:14,040 --> 00:39:16,080 Right, yeah, yeah. 847 00:39:16,080 --> 00:39:18,680 But a lot of things have happened. 848 00:39:18,680 --> 00:39:23,200 Like we have a big statue down at the start 849 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:27,320 of the Boston Marathon of Rick and I. 850 00:39:27,320 --> 00:39:32,080 It's just amazing that all these things that have happened, 851 00:39:32,080 --> 00:39:34,360 that we've been able to do, and it's helping 852 00:39:34,360 --> 00:39:36,040 so many other people. 853 00:39:36,040 --> 00:39:39,120 People go down there just to see the statue 854 00:39:39,120 --> 00:39:41,120 and have pictures taken. 855 00:39:41,120 --> 00:39:44,520 And it's helping a lot of other families and stuff. 856 00:39:44,520 --> 00:39:47,880 So we got the SB Award. 857 00:39:47,880 --> 00:39:51,680 We got so many awards and everything else 858 00:39:51,680 --> 00:39:53,720 throughout all these years. 859 00:39:53,720 --> 00:39:58,400 And matter of fact, we were the USA Triathlon Hall of Fame 860 00:39:58,400 --> 00:40:00,600 to Slash Arizona. 861 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:02,880 We're the first father and son team 862 00:40:02,880 --> 00:40:05,880 to ever get it in the world. 863 00:40:05,880 --> 00:40:09,200 And we're the first ones to do the Ironman Triathlon 864 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:10,320 in the world. 865 00:40:12,080 --> 00:40:13,680 Yeah, it's a duo, yeah. 866 00:40:13,680 --> 00:40:15,960 Amazing, absolutely amazing. 867 00:40:15,960 --> 00:40:17,560 So, I mean, again, like I said, 868 00:40:17,560 --> 00:40:20,080 you guys have been so inspirational 869 00:40:20,080 --> 00:40:23,320 and all started from a 15-year-old boy saying, 870 00:40:23,320 --> 00:40:24,480 daddy, I want to do a race. 871 00:40:24,480 --> 00:40:26,800 So incredible. 872 00:40:26,800 --> 00:40:28,080 Thank you so, so much. 873 00:40:28,080 --> 00:40:29,120 I'm going to let you guys go, 874 00:40:29,120 --> 00:40:31,480 because I know that this has been a little bit longer 875 00:40:31,480 --> 00:40:33,640 than we talked about, but I really appreciate it. 876 00:40:33,640 --> 00:40:36,960 And I will let you guys know when I put this out. 877 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:39,240 Well, I'd appreciate it. 878 00:40:39,240 --> 00:40:41,200 I'd love to see a copy of it too. 879 00:40:41,200 --> 00:40:42,600 It's awesome. 880 00:40:42,600 --> 00:40:44,800 It's been great talking to you. 881 00:40:44,800 --> 00:40:47,760 And I really appreciate talking to you 882 00:40:47,760 --> 00:41:03,880 compared to a lot of other people I talk to.