Jeff Galloway, Olympian and pioneer of run-walk method, dies at 80

Jeff Galloway, a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team who inspired elite athletes and countless everyday runners for decades by promoting a run-walk-run strategy, whether in a marathon or just a neighborhood jog, died Wednesday at the age of 80.

Galloway had a hemorrhagic stroke and died at a Pensacola, Fla., hospital, his daughter-in-law Carissa Galloway said.

His influence was evident in the final days of his life: Crowds of people posted videos online, hoping Galloway would recover from emergency neurosurgery and thanking him for the advice that boosted their confidence and got them racing to the starting lines.

Galloway’s family announced the surgery on February 20 and invited the public to express their 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 is not supposed to be a celebration of suffering. It should be something peaceful, something enjoyable, so people can enjoy running and not dread it.”

Galloway survived heart failure in 2021 and still hoped to complete another marathon after logging more than 230 in his lifetime.

“My mission now, at age 80 and beyond, is to show that people can do things that aren’t normally 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 at Florida State University, two years after competing in the 10,000 meters in the Olympics. He thought it might attract customers to Phidippides, his new runners’ store.

“Neither had run in at least five years, so we started walking with a few one-minute jogs,” Galloway said on his website.

“I spent time with each group, during the races, to adjust the frequency of walking breaks so that no one was out of breath, even at the end,” he said. “The walking breaks helped keep the groups together. Everyone passed the final exam: finishing a 5 km or 10 km with a smile on their face.”

Galloway believed that 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 refine the run/walk ratios based on pace per mile and individual needs.”

And Galloway even had his own recipe. He ran all the water stations during the 1980 Houston Marathon and finished with a faster time, 2:16:35, than his previous 26.2-mile (42.1-kilometer) runs, the Times reported.

He has shared his running philosophy 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 fans went online to pay tribute to him after his recent surgery.

“I never thought I would be a runner. I never thought I would run a half marathon,” Karen Bock-Losee of Jacksonville, Fla., said in a video. “I’m 70 years old and have run several times since my 60th birthday when I discovered running in Galloway. I just want to say thank you.”

Susan Williams remembers 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 to me. It was awesome.”

Bobby McGee, a Colorado-based running coach, said Galloway’s run-walk-run approach made running more accessible to the general public.

“When a group of people participating in any type of race – from marathons to fun runs – get together afterwards, they talk about their time,” McGee said. “No one asks them if they handled everything.”

Galloway is survived by two sons and six grandchildren.