We totally enjoyed every moment of our first official race as our 6 Captains led their team across the finish line during The Grant a Gift Autism Foundation: A Gift of Hope 5K!

Whenever Eden Capsouto has a trying moment — there are many for the Las Vegas mother of three children affected by cerebral palsy — she turns to her trusty Team Hoyt video for solace.

“They have always inspired me,” Capsouto said of the Hoyts — father Dick and disabled son Rick — who have completed more than 1,000 endurance events together across the country.

Dick pulls Rick in a special boat as they swim, carries him in a special seat in the front of his bicycle and pushes him in a special wheelchair as they run.

On Sunday, Capsouto, 37, will push her 20-year-old daughter, Taylor, in the Zappos.com Rock ’n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon and Half-Marathon.

“Taylor is so free and happy when I’m running, it’s like she’s running,” Capsouto said. “Every Saturday and Sunday, she says, ‘When are we going training?’

“She gets up early and puts her workout clothes on and her tennis shoes on and gets ready to go.”

A special education teacher at Henderson’s Galloway Elementary School — where she works with autistic children ages 3 to 6 — Capsouto saw immediate changes in Taylor’s behavior when they started running together more than a year ago.

“I saw a decrease in negative behavior and an increase in everything from her social skills to her language,” she said. “It’s something meaningful and important… Continue reading at the Review Journal…