Rick Hoyt can't speak. Never has.
But sometimes, says his dad, Dick Hoyt, with a chuckle, you can't keep him quiet.
"He likes to tell a lot of jokes," said Dick. "He's always got something funny to say."
Tonight, the most famous road running duo in the world comes to the Merrimack Valley YMCA in Andover at 5:30 for a 30-minute talk on their incredible journey. It's a journey with two key points.
One, when Rick was born at Winchester Hospital on Jan. 10, 1962. During a complicated delivery, the umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and blocked oxygen to his brain. He was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy, which meant he would never talk or walk, among other things.
Two, was in the spring of 1977 when Rick was 15.
Per Rick's request, he and his dad entered a five-mile charity road race to benefit a lacrosse player who was paralyzed from the waist down. Dick pushed Rick in his standard wheelchair.
The fact that the Hoyts finished (second to last) wasn't the defining moment. It was what Rick communicated, via his home computer, to his dad after they got home.
He wrote, "Dad, when I'm running it doesn't feel like I'm handicapped."
Dick hugged his son and cried.
"Everything changed when he said that," said Dick. "Everything."
If Rick wanted to do something, including running road races with his dad, he did it. That was contrary to advice Dick was given to institutionalize his son because there was little hope for him to live a normal life.
"Our motto from the beginning was 'Yes we can,'" said Dick. "I started to cringe when I heard (Barack) Obama using that motto for his presidential campaign. He stole it from us. That was ours."
Rick said he wanted to go to college; so he did, at Boston University, where he lived in a dorm and majored in special education.
Rick wanted to live on his own after graduating, in Boston; so he did, living downtown for 28 years, with the aid of personal care attendants during the day.
And Rick wanted to continue to run races with his dad, even taking it to another level by competing in triathlons; so he did.
"Rick has always loved to swim," said Dick. "It was a natural progression, triathlons."
Rick doesn't have control of his body. But his mind is, as his dad says, sharp as a tack, particularly his humor. Rick enjoys reading and writing on his laptop every day, communicating with friends and family through e-mails.
"The PCAs are with him when he gets up in the morning and they are around until he goes to bed," said Dick. "They leave when he goes to bed. He's alone every night."
As difficult as the training and racing has been, that's been easy compared to the logistics of getting Rick, packing the van and driving or flying to races or speaking engagements. The fact that Rick recently moved to Sturbridge, about six miles from his dad's home in Holland, has made life a lot easier, particularly on his dad.
"It's a lot nicer having him so close, for a lot of reasons," said Dick. "If he had any problems I would have to drive all the way into Boston, dealing with the Mass. Turnpike, traffic, tolls and everything else."
Tomorrow will officially be race 1,016, including numerous Boston Marathons, for Team Hoyt, their official name. In the early 1990s, they completed a more than 3,700-mile bike and run across the United States in 45 days.
The irony is that long before Dick and Rick had the moniker, Team Hoyt, they had trouble finding takers.
"When we first started running, nobody wanted anything to do with us," said Dick. "We had to beg our way into races. Now we have to turn them away. I turned down Singapore (Marathon) four times this year. I just got an e-mail last week from Barcelona. Their race is in March and they wanted to honor us. But we already had plans. We plan our schedule a year in advance."
It will be their 15th Feaster Five Road Race, which they started running in 1991.
"I grew up in North Reading and still have a lot of family and friends there," said Dick. "In fact, one of our former neighbors moved to Andover and is on the 5-mile course. I also have a son, Russell, who lives in Billerica. This is a fun race for us."
When will this incredible ride all end?
Well, Dick is 69 and admits his body doesn't bounce back like it used to.
"I am slowing down a bit. I have a lot of aches and pains," said Dick. "The other day I sawed down a tree and picked up a few logs that were about 200 pounds. I pulled a few muscles. Sometimes I don't know when to slow down."
Rick needs some medical attention, too. His back, which has been aided with three steel rods, could use surgery.
"We're doing everything we can not to have the surgery," said Dick. "But we'll have to wait and see ... for both of us."
Speaking of the future, in two weeks his new children's book, "The Rick Hoyt Story," will be published. It will have many pictures and short passages talking about his life and experiences.
Rick also is writing a follow-up chapter for a book the duo released several years earlier, "It's Only A Mountain," to be re-released just before the Boston Marathon in April.
Rick is writing the chapter about his dad, headlined, "A Father's Love For His Son."
"He says I can't read it until it's published," said Dick. "I'm scared to death of what he's going to say."
Dick said there are times when he figures it is time to hang up his sneakers and Rick his wheelchair. But when he hears from the public, particularly at races or events, he adds more events to their schedule.
"That's why we continue because we inspire so many people," said Dick. "People come up to us and say, 'We can do it. You've inspired me to get in shape and lose weight.' The people have been amazing for us. They've inspired us, too."
In the end, though, Dick says it's all about Rick. And fortunately or unfortunately, he still wants to "run."
"I have so much respect and admiration for Rick," said Dick. "I see his smile. He's a happy person. He's had a great life. I'm just happy he's brought me with him."
Hear the Hoyts speak tonight
What: Dick and Rick Hoyt will show a four-minute DVD and each will speak about their 32 years running road races together. Dick will speak as well as Rick, who will use a voice-activated computer to communicate.
Where: Merrimack Valley YMCA, 165 Haverhill Street, Andover.
When: Tonight, 5:30 to 6
Sponsored by: Feaster Five Road Race
Web site: www.teamhoyt.com
