After 400m world lead at GST Miami, Jacory Patterson makes feelings known on balancing life as athlete & UPS employee

American sprinter Jacory Patterson opened up about how he balances life as an athlete while also working at UPS. He shared his thoughts on managing both roles following his world-leading performance in the 400m, part of the long sprints race group at the Grand Slam Track meet in Miami.

Patterson made headlines with a remarkable 43.98s run at the second Grand Slam meet of the 2025 season, also the inaugural edition of the league. Having clocked a 20.55s run in the 200m earlier in the Miami event, where he finished sixth, Patterson took home a $50,000 cash prize after earning second place in the long sprints group by collecting 15 points.

Following this, the 25-year-old reflected on how a usual day of balancing training with work looked during the post-event interview via FloTrack. Jacory Patterson mentioned that he trained in the morning, worked a night shift, and only slept for three hours before starting the routine over again, stating (2:35):

“I get up in the morning, around 8:30. Training usually starts at 9:00 or 9:30. I train, then go lift, and get treatment if needed. After that, I sleep all day. I wake up again at 9:45 PM because work starts at 10:45, so I give myself an hour to wake up, eat, and get ready. I work from 10:45 PM to about 4:00 or 4:30 AM on a good night. Then I go home, sleep for about 3 hours, wake up, and do it all over again.”

Trinidadian track and field sprinter Jereem Richards emerged as the winner of the long sprints race group with 20 points, following his second-place finish in the 400m and first-place finish in the 200m earlier. Notably, Jacory Patterson remains unsponsored as he has yet to capture the attention of major companies.

Jacory Patterson opens up after successful World Indoor Athletics Championships campaign

Jacory Patterson and USA teammates at World Athletics Indoor Championships Nanjing 2025. Source: Getty

Jacory Patterson had a successful campaign at the 2025 World Athletics Indoor Championships where he bagged two medals including a gold in the men’s 4x400m relay as a part of the USA team and an individual bronze in the 400m event.

Following this, he reflected on this campaign through an Instagram post, captioning it:

“400 Bronze🥉4x4 Gold🥇 Thank you God and thank you to my support system. Words can’t express how much I appreciate yall💯❤️ Nanjing it’s been too real much love🦾”

In the individual event, it was a significant moment for the USA as the nation achieved a medal sweep, with Chris Bailey and Brian Faust winning gold and silver.

About the author

Abhiruchi is a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda, specializing in Athletics, Swimming, Gymnastics, and Wrestling among other sports. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has over 2 years of prior experience in the sports journalism sector.

Chirag Shetty and Satwiksairaj Rankireddy are Abhiruchi’s favorite Olympians. She began following them in 2018, and seeing their transformation from initially not wanting to play together to becoming the world's top-ranked men's doubles pair inspires her.

Track & Field excites Abhiruchi the most because of the diverse range of events involved in it. Neeraj Chopra's historic performance at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics stands as her favorite Olympic moment as it was India’s first gold in track and field events. She feels that focus should be placed on up-and-coming athletes to increase the coverage of Olympic sports during the off-season.

Abhiruchi applies journalistic principles learnt while pursuing her Bachelor’s degree by prioritizing first-hand information, cross-checking via multiple reliable sources, and fact-checking for accuracy. She follows reputed sources and numerous established athletes on social media platforms to remain updated.

When not reporting, Abhiruchi enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and friends.

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Edited by Abhiruchi Rout