Wanda English Burnett, Editor

Putting your body through 17 hours of extreme physical challenge might not sound like fun to some people, but it definitely appeals to Corky Houseworth.

The Milan father of two says it’s a personal challenge for him and the bonus is it helps him keep in shape for his job as a police officer. Houseworth is a detective with the Ripley County Sheriff’s Office.

“Basically, I train all year long,” he noted as he told The Versailles Republican about his latest endeavor, participating in the Louisville Ironman.

This inaugural event was a 17-hour endurance race that saw 2 2,140 contestants swimming, biking and running on August 26.

Houseworth set a personal goal of finishing 2.4 miles of swimming the Ohio River, then riding a bicycle for 112 miles (on steep hills), and finishing with a marathon (26.2 miles), in 15 hours or less. He met his goal finishing with an overall time of 14 hours, 45 minutes and 19 seconds.

Participants in the swim portion of the event had 2 hours and 20 minutes to complete it. Houseworth came in at 1:30:59. There is 10 hours set aside for biking, he came in at 6:56:37 and he finished the marathon in 5 hours, 45 minutes, and 20 seconds. He placed 1246 out of 2140.

Houseworth, who participated in an ironman event in Arizona last year, said this event was particularly challenging due to the extreme weather. “The high humidity made it difficult to keep hydrated for the endurance of the race,” noted Houseworth.

Throughout the year Houseworth has trained by participating in local races and in the Flying Pig Marathon in Cincinnati in May. He said his parents, Herb and Lee Houseworth of Aurora, also played a big part in his training. They would go with him to the Ohio River. While he practiced his swim techniques, his mother would practice her strokes for the canoe race in Switzerland County.

Houseworth noted that his mother and her partner have won that race for the past three years at the Swiss Wine Festival. “That’s definitely where I get my competitive nature from,” he laughed, saying his mother competes against people much younger than herself and enjoys every minute of it.
Houseworth also credits his sons, Joey and Jake, along with wife Angie, for their support. “They are great, I couldn’t do it without them,” he noted. His wife goes to the events and is his biggest fan. This year two uncles who live near Louisville, also came out to cheer him on. “The fan support really means a lot when you’re out there,” he noted.

The Detective Sergeant noted that he enjoys pushing the physical limits and believes it keeps him ‘on his toes’ all year long. He adheres to a low fat diet, which helps out when it comes race time. He also trains with Weber Sports of Aurora.

Last weekend Houseworth and Deputy Rob Bradley participated in the Heroes of Public Safety five mile run in Indianapolis. This was the fifth year for Houseworth to participate. He noted that he’s trying to bring some fellow police officers along with him.

What’s in his future? Houseworth says he’s already beginning his training for next year and plans to travel to Panama City, Florida for an ironman event in November of 2008.

While he says time constraints keep him from training as intensely as he would like, he will continue to get in as much training time as possible, set a new personal goal, and rise to the challenge.

Det. Sgt. Corky Houseworth shows the medal he received at the Louisville Ironman competition recently.