They often say that aside from love, willpower is one of the strongest things around – and this father and son duo is the perfect embodiment of that.

Whatever you put your mind into, as well as your heart, you can achieve.

That’s the beautiful message that father Dick Hoyt and his son Rick have been spreading for more than forty years.

Rick was born with cerebral palsy and can not walk.

But he’s finished more than a thousand races, duathlons, and triathlons thanks to his dedicated father.

Rick, who has spastic quadriplegia, has always been trying to live his life as normal as humanly possible. His disease prevents him from moving properly and he also can’t maintain his balance and posture. Spastic quadriplegia is one of the many forms of cerebral palsy and affects the majority of the body including the face and all limbs.

People with disabilities tend to forget their dreams, but dad Dick wanted to let the whole world know that anything is possible.

It has been his mission ever since Rick was born.

He also hoped to inspire other children and people, who also required special needs – and inspire these two have done!

With more than a thousand races on their name, this father and son have even made the international news numerous times.

When Rick was born, doctors told his parents that their son would be better of in some sort of special care facility, but the family insisted on raising Rick just like any other children.

“We cried, but we talked and we said, “No, we’re not going to put Rick away. We’re gonna bring Rick home and bring him up like any other child,’” Dick Hoyt said to ABC News in an earlier interview.

Even though life wasn’t easy, Rick was showered with love, care, and affection at home.

It was also before the digital revolution really took off, and his family even got in touch with Tufts Unversity engineers to get him a special interactive computer to communicate. Years later, Rick even graduated from Boston University.

Their sports efforts started when Rick asked if he could join a 5-mile run for charity.

The charity was actually quite important for Rick and his family, as it was a fundraiser for someone who was paralyzed due to an accident.

Instead of saying no, dad Rick decided to run the marathon with his son – pushing him the entire five miles in his wheelchair. The pictures that were taken are just incredibly inspiring.

“When we got home that night, Rick wrote on his computer, ‘Dad, when I’m running, it feels like my disability disappears.’ So that was a very powerful message to me,” said Dick.

Dad felt energized and determined, so he trained hard every single week to get better at running and to compete in more races.

“I’m amazed, yes, at what I’m doing. I’m running faster now when I’m 60 years old than when I was 18 years old,” Hoyt said.

During triathlons, Dick pulled his son through the water with a boat, and they used a two-seater bicycle for the third part of the event.

Sadly, Dick recently passed away at the age of 80 years old.

“He’s sad, as we all are, but he’s OK,” one of his other sons Russ said. “You could see it in him, it was like someone hit him.”

“I know it’s a cliche, but I want people to know that I thought my father was a hero, not just because he pushed Rick in the marathon, but because he was a great father to all of us you could talk to about anything,” he said. “He inspired people to look at all their children as equals no matter their disability.”

One thing is for sure: Dick Hoyt will never be forgotten, and his kindhearted spirit lives on.

“I think that Rick has, you know, really made me fulfill my life as a father,” Dick said in an earlier interview. “What’s the secret? Just having a great son, I guess.”

You can check out more about this admirable story in the video below!

May he rest in peace.

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Source: ABC News (YouTube), Wikipedia, Team Hoyt