[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 87 (Thursday, June 29, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1335]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      PAYING TRIBUTE TO MARK JAGET

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. JON C. PORTER

                               of nevada

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 29, 2006

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mark Jaget, who 
recently competed in the Gobi March, a 7-day, 150-mile footrace across 
China's Gobi Desert.
  Mark is a 39-year-old chiropractor, who, with his brother David, owns 
three Spinal Rehabilitation Centers in Las Vegas, Nevada.
  On June 3, 2006, after completing the six-stage, 7-day footrace 
across one of the harshest landscapes and climates on Earth, Mark 
crossed the finish line in a small, remote village in the Xinjiang 
Province of China. Mark finished the race an impressive 9th overall, 
with a time of 32 hours and 56 minutes.
  This was Mark's first race, and he trained for 9 months in order to 
prepare for his amazing performance in this self-sustaining test, where 
the competitors have to carry their own food and supplies. Although 
participants were provided with a tent, water, and dehydrated meals, 
this served as little consolation in the extreme heat and rugged 
terrain.
  Mark's motivation to finish the race came by focusing on thoughts of 
his wife, Clare, and their children, Sebastian, who is 7, and Tristan, 
who is 5, with whom he had imaginary conversations during the contest 
to keep his spirits high.
  Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Mark Jaget on the floor of the 
House. I commend him for his overwhelming determination and appreciate 
his representation of our country and the State of Nevada in the Gobi 
March.

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