"Yes you can!", Rick and Dick Hoyt statue
A powerful symbol of determination and inclusion, Yes, you can! celebrates the extraordinary bond between Dick and Rick Hoyt—Team Hoyt—who inspired the world by showing what’s possible when love and perseverance lead the way.
The 26.2 Foundation was also instrumental in the development and creation of the Team Hoyt bronze statue honoring Dick and Rick Hoyt, the famed father-and-son marathoning team.
Commissioned by John Hancock and titled ‘Yes You Can!’, the life-sized statue was donated to the town of Hopkinton.
It was sculpted by Mike Tabor, and installed on the front lawn of Hopkinton’s Center School in 2013, just yards from the Boston Marathon starting line.
In 1977, after Rick Hoyt, a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, asked his dad to push him in a local 5-mile race to benefit a paralyzed classmate, he told his father – through the aid of a computer – “Dad, when we were running, it felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore.”
Dick Hoyt subsequently pushed his son through 32 Boston Marathons and numerous other endurance events, including no fewer than four Ironman Triathlons in Hawaii. In 1989 they founded the Hoyt Foundation to help children with disabilities participate in sports, and Dick traveled the world raising awareness about disability inclusion. Team Hoyt became a Boston Marathon icon and a global marathon legend.
To recognize their achievements and contributions to marathoning and inclusion, John Hancock Financial commissioned artist Mike Tabor to create the life-sized sculpture, entitled ‘Yes, you can!’. The statue was completed in early 2013 and gifted by John Hancock to the town of Hopkinton.
About the Artist: Mike Tabor -Mike Tabor is a renowned Texas-based artist and educator known for his "Postmodern Western" style, which blends traditional Western themes with expressionist techniques. He is based in Granbury, Texas, and has spent nearly three decades teaching art while maintaining a professional career in both 2D and 3D media
John Hancock Financial commissioned the work in 2011 to celebrate its 150th anniversary.