When Jacory Patterson wakes up in the morning, the first thing he sees on his bedroom wall is a vision board with a quote that says, “mind over matter.” For the 25-year-old unsponsored sprinter, the message helps set the tone for the challenging day ahead.
Even though Patterson is almost always exhausted from working the night shift loading trucks for UPS, he never lets himself complain or dwell on the negatives. He doesn’t stress about the physical toll of lifting couches, refrigerators, and other heavy packages the night before. He doesn’t worry about the fact that he only got three or four hours of sleep after clocking out at 4:30 a.m. All he wants is to get to the track so he can train and get closer to his goal of becoming a full-time professional runner.
“[The situation] may not be how you want it, like of course I want to be able to just train, but I’m still blessed to be here,” Patterson told Runner’s World on a call from his home in Columbia, South Carolina. “I’m always going to have the good outweigh the bad.”
For many elite track and field athletes out of college, Patterson’s situation is not unique. Unless you’re at the top in your respective event and have a lucrative sponsorship contract with a shoe company, many athletes balance training with outside jobs to support themselves. So when Patterson received an invitation to race at Grand Slam Track Miami, one of four meets in a new league with an unprecedented prize structure, In Defense of the Word “Jogger&rdquo.
On Saturday, May 3, Patterson made national headlines when he set a world lead in the 400 meters at Ansin Sports Complex in Miramar, Florida. Out of lane 8, the former University of Florida standout ran the race of his life, beating some of the best sprinters in the world, including world championship bronze medalist Jereem Richards and Olympic silver medalist Matthew Hudson-Smith. “Jacory Patterson wasn’t on my radar to be honest, but he will be now,” analyst Anson Henry said on the NBC Sports broadcast.
Patterson’s winning time of 43.98 lowered his previous personal best by 0.29 seconds. He’s now one of only 26 athletes who’ve broken the 44-second barrier in the event. Perhaps more importantly, the $50,000 Patterson won as runner-up in the series is the financial boost he needed right now.
“It still feels unreal,” Patterson said. “I’m still in shock because man, I’ve been working so hard and for everything to pay off, it’s just crazy.”
There wasn’t much time to celebrate though. By Monday, Patterson was already back at work. After his flight home landed at 2:30 p.m., he slept for a few hours before heading to the UPS shipping center. With more packages accumulated over the weekend, Patterson didn’t get off the clock until 5:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning. By 9:30 a.m., he was at the track for training.
Even though it’s a rough schedule, Patterson sees the situation as a much-needed reset.
Finding a new path
His last collegiate season was in the spring of 2023 when he contributed to Florida’s winning 4x400-meter relay, helping the Gators claim the team title at the 2023 he jumped at the opportunity. That December, he graduated with a degree in education. After earning seven All-American honors, including a fifth-place finish in the 400 meters at the 2022 NCAA Indoor Championships, Patterson decided to stay in Gainesville to keep training with Florida head coach Mike Holloway. He didn’t have a professional contract, but he received gear from Adidas while balancing an internship working with kids in an after-school program.
In his first post-collegiate season, Patterson finished second in the 400 meters at the 2024 U.S. indoor championships and went on to compete for Team USA at the World Indoor Championships. He contributed to the Americans’ silver medal in the 4x400-meter relay in Glasgow. Last summer, Patterson attempted to make the Olympic team in the 400 meters, but he didn’t advance beyond the semifinal at the Olympic Trials A Part of Hearst Digital Media.
Though he loved working with Holloway, Patterson realized he needed a steady income if he was going to keep competing at a high level. He thought going home to Columbia, where most of his family still lives, would make the transition easier. He also knew he could still receive solid coaching guidance there.
When he visited during the holidays, Patterson noticed three-time Grenada Olympian Alleyne Francique training with his athletes at the track. When Patterson decided to move back home, he reached out. “We talked for 45 minutes after the season ended, and it was a great talk,” Patterson said. “I got down here in early August. We started training in mid-September, and it’s been great ever since.”
While Patterson didn’t want to reveal too many specifics about their training program, he credits much of his recent success to the fall base phase Francique put together. He said a mix of higher volume and longer intervals have worked well for him. Plus, training with world indoor medalist Matthew Boling has also helped Patterson level up. “We pushed my body to a limit that I did not know it could go,” he said.
Nocturnal hours
Around the same time Patterson started working with Francique, he also started his job at UPS. He chose the role because he needed more flexibility to accommodate training and recovery. Though he’s interested in teaching, he knew the all-day schedule at school would make it tough to fit in workouts. But having multiple options for shifts at UPS seemed appealing. Right now, he works from 10:45 p.m. to 4 a.m. most weeknights.
“The time sounds crazy, but realistically it was my best bet,” Patterson said, while explaining that he gets up at 8:30 a.m. for 9 a.m. practice. Once he finishes with training and treatment, he sleeps until 9:45 p.m. before heading to work.
“At first, I was like, am I going to be able to do this? But I just stuck it out because I knew I had no other option,” Patterson said. “My back was against the wall.”
Thinking about the toll of it all, Patterson said he’s motivated by his love for the sport and a steadfast belief that he has more to give. “I’ve never been a quitter,” he said. “Until I know it’s time, I will not quit, and I don’t feel in the slightest that it’s time for me to give up track.”
His efforts started to pay off during the indoor track season in February. After finishing second in the 400 meters at the U.S. indoor championships, he went on to claim bronze at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing. He also ran on Team USA’s winning 4x400-meter relay.
In April, he beat his personal best in the 400 meters for the first time since 2021. At the Tom Jones Memorial in Gainesville, Patterson ran 44.27, a time that earned him a spot as a challenger at Grand Slam.
Patterson said he’d like to give a portion of the prize money from Miami to his family as a thank you for supporting him and use the remaining amount to support himself. Eventually, he’d like to quit his job at UPS, so he can focus on training and racing full-time. In the meantime, his next race will take place at the Diamond League meeting in Rabat on May 25.
By the end of the season, Patterson wants to be in Tokyo representing Team USA at the world championships. Since his first Olympic Trials in 2021, Patterson hasn’t advanced beyond the semifinals on the national stage. He wants to change that this summer.
“I’m going to do anything I can to put myself in the best position to [make the team],” Patterson said. “With the people around me—Francique, my family, training partners—I feel like I can do it.”
Taylor Dutch is a writer and editor living in Austin, Texas, and a former NCAA track athlete who specializes in fitness, wellness, and endurance sports coverage. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, SELF, Bicycling, Outside, and Podium Runner.
