Jeff Galloway, a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team who for decades inspired elite athletes and countless everyday runners by promoting a run-walk-run strategy, whether in a marathon or just a neighborhood jog, died Wednesday at age 80.
Galloway had a hemorrhagic stroke and died at a hospital in Pensacola, Florida, daughter-in-law Carissa Galloway said.
His influence was evident in the final days of his life: Throngs of people posted videos online, hoping for Galloway’s recovery from emergency neurosurgery and thanking him for advice that boosted their confidence and took them to race starting lines.
Galloway’s family announced the surgery on Feb. 20 and invited the public to express support.
Jim Vance, an elite endurance sports consultant in San Diego, said Galloway was a “pioneer” in getting people to run.
“He removed the barrier to entry, which was mostly mental,” Vance told The Associated Press. “Running isn’t supposed to be a suffer-fest. It should be something peaceful, something enjoyable, so people can enjoy running and not dread it.”
Galloway survived heart failure in 2021 and was still hoping to complete another marathon after logging more than 230 during his lifetime.
“My mission now, at the age of 80-plus, is to show that people can do things that are normally not done, and can do them safely,” he told The New York Times in December.
Galloway’s run-walk-run method began in 1974 when he agreed to teach a running class through Florida State University, two years after competing in the 10,000 meters at the Olympics. He figured it might attract customers to Phidippides, his new store for runners.
“None had done any running for at least five years. So we started walking with a few one-minute jogs,” Galloway said on his website.
“I spent some time with each group, during the runs, to adjust the frequency of walk breaks so that no one was huffing and puffing — even at the end,” he said. “Walk breaks kept the groups together. Everyone passed the final exam: finishing either a 5K or a 10K with smiles on their faces.”
Galloway believed walking during a run reduced the risk of injury, conserved energy and kept confidence afloat.
“I’ve been using them ever since,” he said, “continuing to fine-tune the ratios of running to walking based upon pace per mile and individual needs.”
And Galloway even had his own recipe. He walked through every water station during the 1980 Houston marathon and finished with a faster time, 2:16:35, than his previous run-only 26.2 mile (42.1 kilometer) races, the Times reported.
He shared his running philosophies through books, websites and retreats. Galloway was the official training consultant for runDisney, a series of races at Walt Disney Co. resorts, and would be among the runners. Many admirers went online to offer tributes after his recent surgery.
“I never thought I would be a runner. I never thought I’d run a half marathon,” Karen Bock-Losee of Jacksonville, Florida, said in a video. “I’m 70 years old and I’ve run several since my 60th birthday when I discovered Galloway running. I just want to say thank you.”
Susan Williams recalled seeing Galloway as she struggled toward the end of a half marathon in Murray, Kentucky, in 2011.
“You passed me, and my butt was cramping,” she said. “You turned around and came back. You talked me through it. It was awesome.”
Bobby McGee, a Colorado-based running coach, said Galloway’s run-walk-run approach made running more accessible to the masses.
“When a group of people in any kind of run — from marathons to fun runs — get together afterwards they talk about their time,” McGee said. “Nobody asks them if they ran the whole thing.”
Galloway is survived by two sons and six grandchildren.
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Associated Press reporter Audrey McAvoy in Honolulu contributed to this story.
