Boston statue to honour father and son marathoners

A bronze statue may soon grace the starting line of the Boston Marathon to honour a unique father-and-son pair.

According to an article on the Wicked Local Hopkinton website, the proposed statue would honour Boston Marathon racing team Dick and Rick Hoyt. Rick, 50, was born with cerebral palsy, and for almost 30 years, Dick has completed the Boston Marathon by pushing Rick in a special wheelchair.

“For the past 30 years, two (Marathon) participants have captured the hearts of the world,” school committee chairwoman Jean Bertschmann wrote in the application to propose the statue. “The Hoyts, Rick and Dick, the father-and-son team, have literally changed the sport of marathoning and inspired both the able-bodied and physically challenged.”

This April, Dick, 71, and Rick will complete their 30th marathon. The statue, commissioned by Marathon sponsor John Hancock Financial Services, would be a life-size statue on a foot-high granite base.