Brendan Aylward '15 is all about inclusion. A special education and math major, Brendan is the owner of Unified Health and Performance in Lancaster, MA, where individuals with and without disabilities can train alongside each other. He’s also Executive Director of AdaptX, which addresses barriers to fitness and physical activity for people with disabilities.
On Marathon Monday in Boston, he'll be wearing a legendary bib. That would be the one belonging to Team Hoyt, another name associated with inclusion in athleticism.
Team Hoyt was made up of Dick Hoyt and his son, Rick. Both were from the town of Holland, Massachusetts. Rick was born with cerebral palsy. His parents were told he would never thrive. Rick graduated from Boston University (BU) with a degree in special education, and worked at BU’s computer lab helping to create systems that would help others with disabilities to communicate.
Rick, who used a wheelchair, asked his father in 1977 if they could run a race together to benefit a classmate. Dick Hoyt, who was not a runner, obliged. After that race, Rick said to his dad, “When I’m running, it feels like I’m not handicapped.” Dick Hoyt became a runner. Team Hoyt became a beloved part of the Boston Marathon. Dick died in 2021; Rick died in 2023. There is a statue for the pair at the Boston Marathon starting line in Hopkinton.
It's a great honor, then, to wear Team Hoyt’s official Boston Marathon bib, says Brendan Alyward, and run 26.2 miles on Patriots’ Day. Brendan says he is ‘honored’ to accept the Team Hoyt Honorary Duo Bib along with his running partner, Jacob Wyman, who uses a wheelchair. Brendan and Jacob have been running together since 2016 and have completed almost 100 races.
Brendan says his introduction to the Special Olympics when he was in high school ‘changed his life,’ and inspired him to come to Lesley and pursue the study of special education. He also loved the location of Lesley, which allowed him to continue his work with the Special Olympics, and his friendship with Jacob, whom he met through the organization, Best Buddies.
Like Dick Hoyt, Brendan wasn’t a runner until he started running with Jacob. “I’ve never run a race without him,” says Brendan. When we're running, I look down at Jacob in front of me and it reminds me how fortunate I am to have the physical ability that I do. I don't take that for granted; it's always made me work harder, both in running and in my career. We have a speaker tied on the chair and Jacob dances and sings for the majority of the race. That always puts a smile on my face when the race starts to get uncomfortable.”
The Boston Marathon is run on Monday, April 21, 2025. Catch up with Brendan, Jacob, and the rest of Team Hoyt here.