admin Fred Kerley is currently the sixth fastest man of all time: He ran 100 meters in 9.76 seconds at the 2022 World Championships to take home gold. Now, the Texas native has his eyes set on lowering that personal best at this year’s Worlds in Budapest this weekend—and maybe even taking down Usain Bolt’s 2009 9.58-second record in the process.
Kerley is a somewhat unconventional sprinter. He switched from the 400-meter distance (he won the bronze in the event at the 2019 world championships) to the 100 just before Tokyo Olympics, a bold risk that originally startled coach Alleyne Francique— and one that majorly paid off when Kerley won the silver medal. Then, in February of 2023, Kerley shocked fans again when he chose to leave behind his Nike contract and sign with Asics.
GQ caught up with Kerley to talk diet, gardening, endurance training as a sprinter, and how he’s feeling going into yet another big career moment.
For Real-Life Diet, GQ talks to athletes, celebrities, and other high performers about their diet, exercise routines, and pursuit of wellness. Keep in mind that what works for them might not necessarily be healthy for you.
GQ: What time are you up in the morning?
Fred Kerley: By 6 a.m. without fail, and I don’t really eat breakfast. If I do, it’s light. I get up, drink a cup of water before I do anything, brush my teeth, and start the day. Before I head to training, I’ll go downstairs and sit and listen to soft-spoken music, and have a mindfulness period of about 5 to 10 minutes where I breathe.
What’s training look like during the season?
Well, it depends where I am in the world. (Kerley estimates he spent 5 months on the road over the past year.) But, practice makes perfect. Sometimes my coach has me doing endurance stuff, and other days it’s short sprints. Some quick bursts could look like reps of 200 meters coming in at about 22 seconds, then full recovery of 4 to 6 minutes between reps. Endurance would be longer, like a set of 50-, 45-, 40-, 35-, 40-second intervals with shorter rest like 4 or 3 minutes in between.
What’s for lunch?
Lunch is definitely the biggest meal of the day, as I’m trying to get back all of that nutrition I just lost from the training session. It could be anything from pasta or steak to chicken; try to stay away from red meat—I probably go for it once a month. I’m also down with turkey meat, potatoes, green beans, black beans, rice, something along those lines. Also, I’m always eating a lot of seafood.
What happens after lunch?
You know, just chilling and hanging out in the backyard, feeding the dogs, just doing typical Fred Kerley stuff.
Define “Fred Kerley stuff”?
Well on any given day, it could be a few different things. But I spend a lot of time in my garden. In Miami, where I live, you can plant year round.
What got you into gardening?
When I moved to my aunt’s house we had a big yard. (Kerley moved in with his Aunt Virginia—who he calls Meme—at two years old—she adopted him when his father was in jail and his mother “took wrong turns in life” according to a 2019 personal essay.)
All of my uncles were big on gardening and stuff, living off of the land, and my aunt and the women were doing the cooking. So yeah, it’s not new to me. Once I got my own property, I started doing it because it brought me peace and a different kind of energy. It helps me get away from the real world. Big mental break.
What’s for dinner?
A lot like lunch. I really make an effort to go for more colorful stuff for dinner. I don’t want anything too heavy, so I’m not going to bed feeling weighed down.
What’s your recovery look like?
I have a therapist that travels with me, he gets my body right for the day or the night before training and stuff. Recovery is huge. The last few years, it’s been mostly about prehab. Especially after what happened at the World Championships last year when I pulled my quad muscle in the 200 and almost needed surgery.
And then, both hydration and sleep are important. For hydration, I typically drink a lot of water, but I’m also big on Gatorade, apple juice, and Pedialyte. And then I’m usually asleep by 9 or 10 after talking on the phone to some people.
Any cheats in there?
Sometimes, dinner is “junk,” like McDonald’s.
What’s your McDonald’s order?
Big Mac, fries, Sprite.
What else falls into the junk category?
Candy, like sweets. Sour Patch Kids.
What excites you right now?
The idea of a world record. All I have to do is execute and stay positive.
