By Paul Schwartz – NorthJersey.com / Record Sports
On Dec. 28, Jaden Marchan ran the 600 meters for the first time in his life at the Coach Glynn Invitational at Ocean Breeze on Staten Island. Marchan won by more than 30 meters over a solid field, in 1:20.57, at the time the fifth best time in Bergen County history and among the top 20 times in New Jersey State history.
It was an excellent effort by Marchan, out for winter track for the first time. He had become one of New Jersey’s top long sprinters over the last two springs, with a second place finish in the 2023 State Meet of Champions 400, but played varsity basketball the previous two winters with his older brother Jem, who graduated last June.
Twenty-four hours, Jaden Marchan’s name was on every high school track fan’s lips throughout the country.
The Leonia senior, a last minute invitee to the The Armory Marine Corps Holiday Festival Invitational 600 race at the historic New York facility, set a New Jersey state record of 1:17.66 in the event (the fourth fastest time in U.S. high school history) and upset the nation’s top returning 400 and 600 runner, Bullis sophomore Quincy Wilson.
“After I ran at Ocean Breeze, my club coach got a call from the meet director (Lex Mercado) telling me my time was the number one time in the country and did I want to defend it the next day against Quincy Wilson,” said Marchan said. “I knew who that was and I said sure.”
Early the following afternoon he found himself next to Wilson, who had finished second in the New Balance Nationals 400 in 45.99 last June, setting a national freshman record that he lowered to 45.87 two weeks later in taking third against mostly college runners at the USA under 20 championships.
“I knew he wanted to go out hard, maybe 23 low for the 200 and 49 for the 400,” said Marchan, who has a personal best of 47.44 at 400. “They were walking about him breaking the national record at 600. I just tried to stay close and see if I could outkick him.”
Indeed, Marchan got out hard but Wilson got out harder and when the field broke for the inside after running the first 200 meter lap in lanes, the diminutive sprinter from Washington, D.C. had the lead with Marchan at his heels. The duo ran away from the rest of the field and Wilson hit the 400 in 49.66, just a couple of hundreths off of the best 400 time nationally in the early stages of the season. Marchan was hanging on in 50.11, nearly three seconds faster than he had run the first 400 the day before.
The meet announcer kept focusing on Wilson and his professed desire to take down the National record of 1:15.58, but as the pair started towards the final turn he finally noticed Marchan slowly cutting into the three meter margin and as they swung into the final 40 meters, it was obvious that even Wilson’s victory was very much in doubt.
Marchan, propelled by his 21.71 200 speed, fastest in the U.S. this season and the strength he gained by a first ever cross-country season, kept closing and about a dozen strides from the finish surged past Wilson to break the nearly 19 year old state record set by Shaquan Brown of Kennedy of 1:17.9, which stood as the national record from 2005-2012. In the process he took down the Bergen County record of 1:20.0 set by Ken Sinkovitz of Bergen Catholic in 2003.
“It feels great,” said Marchan, who was approved to run this winter by the Leonia administration in the absence of a formal Lions winter track team. “I’m really focused on running all year and I’ve been working even harder this year on getting better in every phase.”
A rematch with Wilson, who added the national sophomore record of 1:17.81 to his freshman record of 1:17.81, is likely. The Millrose Games at the Armory on February 11th, will feature a junior 600 meter race and both Marchan and Wilson are eager for another chance at the classic indoor distance.
