[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 15512]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 IN RECOGNITION OF JADEN MERRICK'S WORLD RECORD SETTING RACE TIME FOR 
             THE HALF MARATHON IN THE 7-YEAR-OLD AGE GROUP

                                  _____
                                 

                             HON. ROD BLUM

                                of iowa

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 30, 2015

  Mr. BLUM. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to congratulate a young 
constituent of mine--Jaden Merrick from Cedar Falls, Iowa--on his world 
record setting race time for the half marathon in the 7-year-old age 
group.
  On September 12, 2015, Jaden raced in the Cedar Valley Park-to-Park 
Half Marathon in Waterloo, Iowa. Jaden, having already raced to a world 
record for his age group in last year's Park-to-Park 5K, rewrote the 
record books again--completing the half marathon in an astounding one 
hour, 43 minutes, and 34 seconds.
  In addition to his remarkable race times, the local running community 
recognizes Jaden by his signature smile. He simply beams through every 
step of the race and his enthusiasm is undiminished despite the 
distances. He is an exceptional young man who enjoys having fun while 
competing.
  I extend my sincerest congratulations to Jaden and wish him well as 
he prepares to compete in the Junior Olympics for cross country and 
track in the upcoming spring. I would also like to congratulate Jaden's 
parents Brent and Sabina, on their perpetual support of their son and 
their encouragement of his talents.

                          ____________________