Famed Father-Son "Team Hoyt" to Compete at Marathon of the Palm Beaches
The team’s inspirational story will be featured on HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumble on August 23

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Posted Wednesday, 17 August, 2005

Contact: JEN MCNEILL
Carey O’Donnell PR Group, (561) 832-3231

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Dick and Rick Hoyt, the nationally renowned father-and-son marathon and triathlon team from Massachusetts, collectively known as “Team Hoyt,” have signed-on to compete in the Second Annual Marathon of the Palm Beaches, to be held December 4, 2005 and presented by Jacuzzi Brands.

Rick, a quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, and his father, Dick, 65, have competed in more than 911 national racing events across the country and throughout the world in an effort to change public attitudes and perceptions towards the physically challenged. When the two men compete as runners, Dick pushes Rick in a wheelchair; when they swim, Dick tows Rick in a small boat; and when they cycle, Rick sits in a seat attached to the front of Dick's bike. The duo’s inspirational story will be the subject of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumble on August 23 and will feature an interview with long-time friend, Dave McGillivray, race director of the Boston Marathon and the Marathon of the Palm Beaches.

At Rick’s birth in 1962, the umbilical cord became tangled around his neck, cutting off oxygen to his brain. He was born a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy and unable to speak. Doctors advised Rick’s parents, Dick and Judy, that there would be little hope for their son’s development and that he would never be able to communicate. The Hoyts were convinced of Rick’s intelligence and refused to listen to doctors’ suggestions to place him in an institution. They chose to raise Rick as any other child, schooling him and including him in all of their activities. In 1972, Tufts University engineers developed an interactive computer that allowed Rick to finally communicate with others using slight head movements to select letters, which he would use to form words that would appear on a computer screen. It was this technological breakthrough that cued his parents into Rick’s love for sports. The very first words he typed on his communicator were “Go Bruins.”

Team Hoyt first began participating in races when Rick learned of a five-mile benefit run for a lacrosse player paralyzed in an accident. Dick had never participated in a long-distance race and the two finished second to last, but they knew it was still a tremendous triumph. Today, their impressive roster of completed events includes 64 marathons, 20 duathlons, 206 triathlons and six grueling Ironman distances, which features a 26.2-mile marathon, 112 miles of cycling and 2.4-miles of swimming. They have competed in the Boston Marathon 24 times, with an incredible 2:40:47 all-time best, faster than approximately 90 percent of the field. In 1992, they biked and ran across the United States, covering 3,735 miles in 45 consecutive days.

When asked to reflect on their 25 plus years of successes, Dick says, “We honestly don’t have time to stop and think about it! Rick and I are always on the move, going from one race to the next. We certainly never thought when we started that we’d be competing in marathons, triathlons or Ironman competitions. For us, it’s about helping a lot of people, and not just the disabled. It’s a great feeling when able-bodied people come up to us after we race to tell us how we’ve inspired them to get in shape and participate in marathons and triathlons. It motivates us to compete more and more.”

The Marathon of the Palm Beaches will be the Hoyt’s first visit to Palm Beach County. “We’ve competed in Florida before, mostly at Disney,” said Dick. “But we’re particularly excited to be coming down to the Palm Beaches in December for this event. The area and the waterfront course look so beautiful, plus it’s a great time of year to compete in the south. We’ll probably have a blizzard in Boston!”

In addition to their athletic success, Rick excelled in school and graduated from Boston University in 1993 with a degree in special education. He now works at Boston College’s computer laboratory, where he recently helped scientists develop software that allows a paralyzed person to control a computer through eye movements. He also works at the communication enhancement program at Children’s Hospital in Boston. Dick, who suffered a heart attack in 2003 and returned to running just four weeks after his angioplasty surgery, recently retired as a lieutenant colonel in the air national guard. He served the country for more than 35 years. Team Hoyt also travels the country appearing as guest motivational speakers at schools, businesses and seminars. They have also launched a book “It’s Only a Mountain” and a DVD “Team Hoyt Ironman,” which showcase their message of integrating the physically challenged into everyday life.

Race officials hope Team Hoyt will inspire other mobility-impaired to join in the fun of the local event. A disabilities program has been established specifically to ensure individuals are accommodated and have ample accessibility to the race. The disabilities program and Team Hoyt’s participation is being sponsored locally by The Hollander Team; Oliver, Glidden, Spina and Partners; Nature’s Way Café; Ackerman Senterfitt Attorneys at Law; First Flagler Mortgage & Finance; and The Celedinas Agency Insurance and Financial Services. Individuals interested in participating should contact, Kevin Spina, chair of the disability program, at (561) 655-4033.

The second annual Marathon of the Palm Beaches, presented by Jacuzzi Brands, will be held on Dec. 4, 2005 from 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is managed by DMSE (Dave McGillivray Sports Enterprises). The event is part of a three-day weekend packed with race-related activities, including a 5K and 5K-team race, Ronald McDonald Kids K on Saturday, Dec. 3, and a two-day Sports and Fitness Expo on Friday and Sat., Dec. 2 - 3. The event is co-sponsored by WPBF Channel 25; 97.9 fm WRMF; ESPN Radio 760 AM; The Palm Beach Post; Carey O’Donnell PR Group; Marriott West Palm Beach; Wilesmith Advertising & Design; The City of West Palm Beach; Columbia Restaurants; Wachovia; Ruth’s Chris Steak House; Palm Beach County Convention & Visitor’s Bureau; Brooks Sports, Inc.; Thorlos; Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida; Palm Beach County Sports Commission; CityPlace; Dr. David W. Feld; Palm Beach County Commissioner Jeff Koons; Tourneau; The Pepsi Cola Bottling Company and Gatorade; Signs by Tomorrow; Florida Sun Waterfront Fitness; Brightroom Photography; BellSouth; Forte Interactive; The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training; Palm Beach Media Associates, Inc.; JBS Destination Solutions, Table 13 and Team DMSE.

For more information about Team Hoyt, visit www.teamhoyt.com ail teamhoyt@cox.net. For more information or to register online as a runner or volunteer, visit www.marathonofthepalmbeaches.org, or call (561) 833-3711, ext. 225.

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