HAVERHILL — They’ve already conquered 26.2 miles together by foot. But later this month, the father-son duo will race into unfamiliar territory, going off-road, on two wheels and in the water.
After completing the Boston Marathon three times together, Haverhill’s Yonatan Quezada and his 20-year-old son, Schoan, are lacing up for a new test of endurance: The Boston Triathlon.
They will compete on Sunday, Aug. 23, at DCR Carson Beach in South Boston as a push-assist team in the sprint-distance race, then a 750-meter swim in Dorchester Bay, followed by a 17.5-kilometer bike ride through South Boston and a 5.5-kilometer run along the shoreline.
For Quezada, the running portion is well-known ground, but the swimming and cycling will push the pair into uncharted waters.
“I always wanted to do this, but I never trained or got into it,” Quezada said. “If I don’t commit now somehow, I will never do it.”
He was inspired by watching Dick and Rick Hoyt, the Massachusetts father-son team who competed together in more than 1,000 endurance races, including 32 Boston Marathons. Dick Hoyt pushed, pulled and carried his son, Rick, who had cerebral palsy, throughout their racing careers.
Quezada is on a similar path with Schoan, who also has cerebral palsy along with other medical complexities.
The two first took on athletic feats together when Quezada started pushing his son in a specialized stroller-like chair while on his runs. He said that his son enjoyed the experience so much that it became a regular activity for the both of them. Shorter runs coursed into marathon training and eventually, three Boston Marathon finishes.
“I saw how happy he got while we were running, and that’s what kept me going,” he said.
This month’s competition is a different beast altogether, he said, as Quezada will have to tow his son through the swimming leg using a rope attachment secured around his chest. The rope will be connected to the front of a raft, where his son will lie.
Swimming has been the biggest hurdle throughout his training, and that he has never considered himself a strong swimmer.
“I know how to swim in a family pool, but not to this level,” he said. “I’m not going to be Michael Phelps.”
The cycling leg will be another first for the duo, with Quezada attaching his son’s seat to the back of the bicycle. Then comes the run — the final leg and the one they know best.
Their participation will mark the first time a push-assist duo has competed in the Boston Triathlon since 2019.
His preparation involves a rigorous training schedule, taking up several hours four to five days a week. Quezada swims at Cedardale Health & Fitness, runs with a group through Tracksmith and cycles with another group in Andover.
Saturdays are his rest days, a necessary break as he balances the training load with his work as a sales manager for a beauty supply company.
Quezada said he wants the triathlon to give Schoan another opportunity to experience competition, and to demonstrate that individuals with disabilities should have a place on the starting line, not the sidelines.
“I am welcoming this challenge,” Quezada said. “This is exciting and I am even more committed to it.”
Looking past the finish line, however, Quezada said the plan is to build upon these athletic feats with his son, taking on more races as the years come, and maybe an Ironman competition.