Rick Hoyt Taking Time Off From Racing To Focus On Health
BOSTON (CBS) – Rick Hoyt, an inspirational figure annually at the Boston Marathon, will be taking time off from racing to focus on his health.
Team Hoyt announced that Rick, who was pushed by his father Dick in races for decades before the elder Hoyt stepped aside, is doing well but "needs to give his lungs some time to fully recover."
Rick did not participate in this year's Boston Marathon due to health concerns.
"He appreciates everyone's support and well wishes and wants everyone to know he will be back! He is sad that he will not be able to take part in the Boston Marathon in April, but he is planning to take part in some local 5K events with his nephew Troy in 2020," Team Hoyt posted.
Dick and Rick Hoyt have been a fixture of the Boston Marathon since 1981, when Dick first pushed his son, born a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, in the race for the first time. The duo began doing other marathons around the country in 1977. Dick Hoyt stepped aside from running marathons in 2015.