At the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon...
Illustration
At the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon, along with the excitement of the grueling race, there are always some wonderfully inspiring stories involving amateur athletes. One story is that of Ricky Hoyt and his father, Dick. Ricky was born with cerebral palsy. The doctors said that the best thing for Ricky was to be committed to a home where he could live with others like himself, but the Hoyts refused. They wanted their son to live with them.
As the years passed, the Hoyts proved the doctors wrong as Ricky learned more and more skills. Though confined to a wheelchair, he learned to communicate and take care of many of his own needs.
And then he decided to do a triathlon.
Because Ricky was unable to race on his own, Dick started doing triathlons with Ricky. During the swim segment, Dick towed Ricky in a raft. For the cycling leg, Dick built a special bike so that Ricky could sit up front while Dad pedaled. And for the running segment, Dick pushed Ricky in a jogging carriage.
Throughout the races, Dick feeds Ricky, applies sunscreen to him and supplies him with water. Racing and training together for so many hours allows the father and son to be very close emotionally. Ricky supplies the desire to race, and Dick supplies the muscle.
Jesus and God are even closer. God supplies the Spirit, and Jesus the human face of the Father.
--Parlette
As the years passed, the Hoyts proved the doctors wrong as Ricky learned more and more skills. Though confined to a wheelchair, he learned to communicate and take care of many of his own needs.
And then he decided to do a triathlon.
Because Ricky was unable to race on his own, Dick started doing triathlons with Ricky. During the swim segment, Dick towed Ricky in a raft. For the cycling leg, Dick built a special bike so that Ricky could sit up front while Dad pedaled. And for the running segment, Dick pushed Ricky in a jogging carriage.
Throughout the races, Dick feeds Ricky, applies sunscreen to him and supplies him with water. Racing and training together for so many hours allows the father and son to be very close emotionally. Ricky supplies the desire to race, and Dick supplies the muscle.
Jesus and God are even closer. God supplies the Spirit, and Jesus the human face of the Father.
--Parlette
