SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - When Missouri Army National Guard Staff Sgt. Ryan Houk takes off from the starting line at the Arizona Ironman contest in Tempe, Ariz., on Sunday, the event will mark a milestone in the Citizen-Soldier's physical transformation, as well as commemorate the anniversary of the death of fellow Guard member Army Master Sgt. Mark Turner, who died on that date two years before.
"A few years ago I found myself struggling with physical fitness and overall health," said Houk, who played sports in high school in Clinton, and continued to maintain physical fitness throughout Army basic and advanced individual training after joining the Guard eight years ago.
But, over time, he let himself go, he said.
"I hated doing physical training, I had no desire. I felt as long as I passed my Army physical fitness test that was good enough," said Houk, now of Fair Grove. "But I barely met the minimums, and in 2007, I failed to meet my body fat content after being taped (at 24 percent). At that point I made a commitment to myself to save my career and make a lifestyle change."
Houk started out slowly, he said, running as much as he could. In doing so, he encountered Turner, an avid runner and athlete who participated in competitive contests year-round, including Springfield's annual Thanksgiving Day Turkey Trot.
Both serving in Springfield's 1107th Aviation Group, Turner became of mentor of sorts for Houk, although Turner may not have known it.
"Everyone liked Mark," said Army Sgt. 1st Class Kevin LaChance, of Marshfield. "He was a great athlete and just a genuinely nice guy. He never acted like he was as good as he was, and he was always there to offer advice, if asked."
"Mark was a phenomenal athlete and a great Soldier and an even better person," said Houk. "He was one of the people I looked up to and wanted to be like when I decided to make a change in my life and career."
In fact, Houk, in looking for an ironman contest to participate in this fall, stumbled onto the Arizona competition and was struck by the date: November 20.
"I knew that was it. That was the race," said Houk of the anniversary of Turner's unexpected and sudden death at age 32 while running days before Thanksgiving 2009 near the National Guard armory in Springfield.
"I didn't know Mark closely, but everybody knew him. He blew everybody away, whether in Army physical training or competitions. Everybody looked up to him. He was just a really nice guy," said Houk, who alongside Turner previously tried out for a Guard team that ran the Bataan Memorial Death March.
Turner made the team that year, said Houk, but a conflict left him unable to compete in the challenging, 26.2-mile march through the high desert terrain of White Sands Missile Range, N.M. Houk failed to make the cut on the previous team, but did this year and marched in the event conducted in honor of heroic service members who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II.
"I am proud to be a part of the Missouri light team that brought back the coveted Bataan Memorial Death March traveling trophy awarded to the top National Guard team," said Houk of his contribution to the first for the Missouri National Guard.
Houk, who serves with Company A of the aviation group, has also become his unit's fitness coordinator, and will now guide other Citizen-Soldiers, sharing what he's learned and serving as proof of what hard work and sheer will can do to turn a person's life around.
Houk runs, swims and bikes on a regular training schedule while working full time as an aviation electronics technician at the Missouri Guard Theater Aviation Sustainment Maintenance Group facility in Springfield. Last year, Houk ran a half-marathon in Branson; this is his first ironman contest.
The 140.6-mile race consists of a single-loop, 2.4-mile swim in Tempe Town Lake, followed by a challenging, 112-mile bike course through the Sonoran Desert, and finishes with a 26.2-mile run around Tempe Town Lake and Papago Park.
"I'm really nervous about this. The distance is just huge," said Houk, noting that at seven percent body fat he has trained for the last 20 weeks for the event. He finds swimming the most difficult of the challenges, he said.
But Houk won't be alone, as two current Missouri Guard Soldiers, Army Staff Sgt. Billy Donigan and Army Staff Sgt. Robin Martinez, and former Guard member Brandon Peterson, as well as Houk's wife, Cheryl, are all going to Arizona in a rented, 12-person van.
"My friends in the Guard are really supporting me on this," Houk said of the seven-day, cross-country adventure.
Houk again notes the passing of Turner, concerned about placing himself alongside someone the caliber of his mentor.
"He deserves to be honored; he was great; but I don't know if I'm deserving," said Houk, humbly. "But it's an honor to represent the Missouri National Guard and pay tribute to the memory of Mark. In doing so, I believe this sets an example for fellow Soldiers and exemplifies the warrior ethos: 'I will always place the mission first; I will never quit; I will never accept defeat; and I will never leave a fallen comrade.'"
"Mark's family and I are grateful for Staff Sgt. Houk's gesture to run in Mark's memory on the anniversary of his death. It's such a gift to know Mark continues to impact others," said Regina Turner, Mark Turner's widow. "Houk is already a winner to us. We wish him Godspeed in Arizona.