Boston Athletic Association Presents Hoyt Award to Wheelchair Racing Advocate Bob Hall

The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) is honoring the first wheelchair athlete to race the Boston Marathon with an award named after a pair of well-known Massachusetts marathoners.

Fifty years after Bob Hall, a Belmont native, competed in his first Boston Marathon, the B.A.A. is recognizing his contributions to advancing the sport of wheelchair racing by presenting him with the Rick and Dick Hoyt Award.

"Hall's relentless drive and his belief that racing belonged to everyone helped convince organizers to allow him to race. His 1975 finish in just under three hours wasn't just a personal triumph; it was truly a turning point for the sport," officials with the B.A.A. stated in a news release shared with NewsCenter 5.

The B.A.A. further noted that Hall became "the first officially recognized participant using a wheelchair when Race Director Will Cloney assured him that he would receive an official finishers' certificate if he completed the course in less than three hours." He crossed the finish line in two hours and 58 minutes, and the B.A.A. followed through on its promise.

Two years after Hall first competed in the marathon, Boston hosted the National Wheelchair Championship. Seven athletes raced at that time. Hall improved on his previous time by nearly 18 minutes in this competition. He finished third in the Boston Marathon in 1978, 1980, and 1981.

This year's Boston Marathon will mark the 50th anniversary of Hall's first race in 1975.

Rick and Dick Hoyt competed in their final Boston Marathon in 2014 after participating in it every year since 1981. A bronze statue in their honor was dedicated in Hopkinton in 2013. 

Dick died in 2021. Rick passed away only a few weeks after the marathon in 2023.