There is a father-son team that runs marathons, competes in triathlons, and once even made the 3,735 miles across the USA on foot. They’re known as Team Hoyt-the dad’s name is Dick Hoyt and his son is Rick. Oh, by the way, Rick can’t walk or talk. When he was being born, his umbilical cord got wrapped around his neck, cutting off the oxygen to his brain. Doctors told Dick and his wife that His son would always be a “vegetable.”

But Rick’s parents struggled to give him the normal life most of us take for granted. Even things that most of us don’t like to do, like walking the dog, were impossible for Rick to do. Rick’s mom and dad managed to get him into a public school. With a little help from a computer Rick can control with small movements of his head. By using this computer, Rick can convey his thoughts and emotions on the computer screen.

When Rick was 15 years old, he asked his dad to participate in a five-mile run with him in order to benefit a local athlete who had been paralyzed in an accident. Dick was not a runner-or even an athlete-but he agreed to push Rick through the race in his wheelchair.

Since then, the father-son team has competed in more than 900 events together! That includes 10ks, half marathons, marathons and triathlons. For the iron man Triathlon in Hawaii, which starts with a 2.4-mile ocean swim, Dick puts Rick in a raft and pulls him with a rope tied around his waist. Then he gets out and carries Rick to the start of the 100-mile bike race, where Rick sits in front of his dad on a specially made seat. Their best time in this event is 13 hours, 43 minutes, and 37 seconds.

Hope for a productive, happy life for his son is why Dick began his competitive pursuits. Just think about how huge the commitment is on Dick’s part. He gives so much for his son. For years he has worked out and trained-sometimes five hours a day, even when he was working-to stay in shape for the races. Together the father-son team is a lot like the body of Christ. What are you and I willing to do for the good of others? How much of ourselves are we willing to give?