The Boston Marathon Grand Marshal is a notable position because of what it stands for, and the 2015 selection, Dick Hoyt, is the perfect representation of that. Named Grand Marshal by the Boston Athletic Association earlier this week, Hoyt’s story is a tremendous one, and will inspire any runners he happens to pass while riding in the pace car.

For those who don’t know, Hoyt became a legend in Boston (and to marathon runners everywhere) when he was asked by his son, Rick, if they could participate in a run together to raise money for a schoolmate who had been paralyzed. Rick, who cannot run because of a condition from birth, famously told his father that when they were together in a marathon, “it feels like I’m not handicapped.”

Team Hoyt, as they became known, ran the marathon together from 1980 until 2014. This year, Rick will be pushed by fellow Team Hoyt member, Bryan Lyons.

Dick Hoyt joins a long line of notable Boston Marathon Grand Marshals, which includes former winners like Meb Keflezighi in 2012, Bill Rodgers in 2014, and of course John A. Kelley (1995-2004), as well as pioneers like Roberta “Bobbi” Gibb and Sara Mae Berman (2013).

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