Jeff Galloway, a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team who inspired elite athletes and countless everyday runners for decades by popularizing the “run-walk-run” strategy, whether it was a marathon or a neighborhood jog, died Wednesday at age 80.
Galloway suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and died at a hospital in Pensacola, Florida, said his daughter-in-law, Carissa Galloway.
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In his final days, his influence was evident: droves of people posted videos online wishing Galloway well on his recovery from emergency neurosurgery and thanking him for the advice that boosted their confidence and got them to the starting line.
Galloway’s family announced the surgery on February 20 and invited the public to express support.
Jim Vance, an elite endurance sports consultant in San Diego, said Galloway was a “pioneer” in encouraging people to run.
“He removed the barrier to entry, which was mostly mental,” Vance told The Associated Press. “Running shouldn’t be a painful thing. It should be a calming thing, something enjoyable, so that people enjoy running and not fear it.”
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In 2021, Galloway survived heart failure and after running more than 230 marathons in his life, he still hopes to complete another.
“I’m now in my 80s, and my mission is to show people that people can do things that they normally wouldn’t do, and that they can do them safely,” he told The New York Times in December.
Galloway’s run-walk-run approach began in 1974, when he agreed to teach running classes at Florida State University, two years after competing in the Olympic 10,000 meters. He thought it might attract customers to his new store for runners, Phidippides.
“No one had run in at least five years. So we started walking, doing a few one-minute jogs,” Galloway said on his website.
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“During the run, I spent some time with each group adjusting the frequency of walking breaks so that even at the end, no one was out of breath,” he said. “The walking breaks bring everyone together. Everyone passes the final exam: completing the 5K or 10K with a smile on their face.”
Galloway believes walking while running can reduce the risk of injury, conserve energy and maintain confidence.
“I’ve been using them ever since,” he says, “continuing to fine-tune my run-to-walk ratio based on mile-by-mile pace and personal needs.”
Galloway even has his own recipe. At the 1980 Houston Marathon, he hit every water station and finished the race in 2 hours, 16 minutes and 35 seconds, faster than his previous run of only 26.2 miles (42.1 kilometers), the Times reported.
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He shares his running philosophy through books, websites, and retreats. Galloway, the official training consultant for “runDisney,” a series of races at the Walt Disney Company Resorts, will also be one of the runners. After his recent surgery, many admirers expressed their condolences online.
“I never thought I would be a runner. I never thought I would run a half marathon,” Karen Bock-Losi of Jacksonville, Fla., said in the video. “I’m 70 years old and I’ve done the Galloway run several times since discovering it on my 60th birthday. I just want to say thank you.”
Susan Williams recalled seeing Galloway as she sprinted to the finish line at the 2011 half marathon in Murray, Kentucky.
“You walked past me and my butt cramped,” she said. “You turned around and came back. You told me about it. That’s awesome.”
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Bobby McGee, a running coach in Colorado, said Galloway’s run-walk-run method made running more accessible to the masses.
“When a group of people get together after any type of running event — from a marathon to a fun run — they all talk about their time,” McGee said. “No one asked if they were responsible for 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 report.
