Hundreds of people were at the Davidson Center tonight to listen to athlete, father and motivator Dick Hoyt.
More than 400 people are here to raise money for a good cause and listen to Dick Hoyt's inspirational story of hope and strength.
Dick Hoyt's son, Rick, has cerebral palsy or brain damage.
When he was 9 months old doctors told Dick his son wouldn't be able to do anything.
"We took Rick to the specialist and they did all kinds of tests and they came back and they were all negative and they said ‘forget Rick, put him away in an institution he's going to be nothing but a vegetable for the rest of his life,"' said Dick Hoyt.
They didn't follow doctor's orders but instead took him home and continued to teach him.
When Rick was 12 they were able to get him a machine so he could communicate.
"His very first words were ‘Go Bruins' so we knew he liked sports and that he understood everything we taught him," said Hoyt.
Rick began to express an interest in racing, so his father, Dick, decided to try and help him fulfill is desire, even though he wasn't really that big on running.
"I was 40 years old. I was not a runner. I only ran 3 times a mile each time," said Hoyt.
So he trained and pushed his son a wheelchair through the entire race.
"We finished the entire 5 miles and came in next to last but not last. In all the events we've ever been in, we've never been last," said Hoyt.
30 years later 69 year old Dick Hoyt and his son are still competing doing everything from the Boston Marathon to the Iron man Triathlon. They have competed in more than 1,000 races together.
"It really fulfills his life because he's able to be out there competing and he has two brothers who are good athletes, now they are out there supporting him," said Hoyt.
To compete, Dick pushes Rick on the wheel chair, on the bike and pulls him along in a boat for the swimming portion of the triathlon.
They train at least 3 hours a day.
"My motto is yes you can. There isn't anything you can't do if you make up your mind to do it and there's no such word as can't in the Hoyt vocabulary," explain Hoyt.
Organizers hope to raise $100,000 for Rainbow Omega a non-profit group that serves adults with developmental disabilities.
Dick and his son are competing in another race this weekend in Boston.
Dick says they will continue to race together until they're no longer physically able.
Reporter: Stephanie Beecken
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