Empowering people with disabilities through running

Every Ability. Every Mile. Together.

Team Hoyt Denver pairs runner athletes with rider athletes who are pushed to the finish line in specialized wheelchairs. Joy. Teamwork. The shared thrill of crossing — and no one left on the sidelines.

Join the Team Support the Mission →

MILE 01 Ways to join N°01 / 05

Three lanes.
One finish line.

Ride with the Team

Athletes with disabilities are the heart of every race. Join the roster, get matched with runners, and take the line at events across the Denver metro.

Become a rider athlete

Power the Team

Runner athletes power the racing chair to the finish line. Run alongside, volunteer on race day, cheer from the course, or champion the mission in your community. Every supporter widens the team.

Find your role

Support the Team

Sponsors and donors keep the wheels turning — racing chairs, race registrations, hospitality, uniforms, and the work behind every start line.

Sponsor or donate

Rider athletes on the team

Races on the 2026 calendar

5K→26.2

Race distances we run

Cost for rider athletes

MILE 02 Our inspiration

— THE HOYT LEGACY · SINCE 1977

A father. A son. A stubborn idea.

In 1977, Rick Hoyt was born a spastic quadriplegic, confined to a wheelchair. He told his father Dick — who had never competed in a running race — that he wanted to participate in a 5-mile benefit run for a paralyzed lacrosse player.

When we were running, it felt like my disability disappeared. — Rick Hoyt, after the first race

Over the next thirty years, Rick and Dick competed in more than 1,000 races, including 32 Boston Marathons and 6 Ironmans. In 2013 they were awarded the ESPY Jimmy V Perseverance Award. Team Hoyt Denver carries that legacy to the Denver metro area — a separate and distinct legal entity from Team Hoyt and The Hoyt Foundation, Inc.

MILE 03 Our rider athletes

Meet the people at the heart of every race.

Every athlete on the team brings their own story to the line. Here are four of the people who make race day what it is.

Jack

Jack is a joyful and curious four-year-old with quadriplegic cerebral palsy who lights up every room with his smile and sense of humor. Whether he is ringing his cowbell in a road race or cheering through a snowy sit-ski run, Jack shows that ability comes in many forms..

Harper

Harper is a 15-year-old athlete who loves travel, music, family, and concerts at Red Rocks. She was born with a rare genetic condition, is hearing impaired and legally blind, and has grown up in an active family that loves hiking, running, and cross-country skiing.

Jeff

At 70 years young, Jeff brings heart, resilience, and a deep appreciation for life to every race. After a 1977 industrial accident caused an incomplete quadriplegia injury, months of rehabilitation at Craig Hospital helped him regain the ability to walk with two crutches.

Skyler

Skyler is a 23-year-old athlete who loves running with his mom and dad, feeling the wind in his hair, listening to music in his stroller, and hearing fans cheer for Team Hoyt. He is non-verbal autistic, originally from Louisville, Kentucky, and is proud to be part of Team Hoyt Denver..

22 rider athletes on the 2026 roster — and we're always growing the team.

Meet every athlete →

MILE 04 2026 race calendar N°04 / 05