U.S. movie producer Cecil B. DeMille said, "The person who makes a success of living is the one who sees his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication." Dick and Judy Hoyt serve as an excellent example of dedication.

Their son Rick is a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy as a result of oxygen deprivation to his brain during birth. As soon as doctors advised Dick and Judy to institutionalize Rick because there was no chance of him recovering, Dick and Judy started to show the strength of their dedication to their son.

They took their son sledding and swimming, and even taught him the alphabet and basic words. They asked engineers at Tufts University to build an interactive computer for Rick so he could communicate. From a simple tap with his head against a head piece attached to his wheelchair Rick could finally communicate with his parents and others.

Their constant dedication and support of their son enabled him, at the age of 13 to attend public school. After high school, Rick attended college and graduated with a degree in Special Education.

Perhaps an even more remarkable example of dedication is Dick's ability to compete in athletic events with Rick. In the spring of 1977, Rick told his father that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a Lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident.

Far from being a long-distance runner, Dick agreed to push Rick in his wheelchair and they finished all 5 miles, coming in next to last. That night, Rick told his father, "Dad, when I'm running, it feels like I'm not handicapped."

This realization was just the beginning of what would become over 1,000 races completed, including marathons, duathlons and triathlons (6 of them being Ironman competitions). Also adding to their list of achievements, Dick and Rick biked and ran across the U.S. in 1992, completing a full 3,735 miles in 45 days.