Olympic Marathoner, Creator Of The Run/Walk Method, And RunDisney Consultant, Jeff Galloway, Has Passed Away

TV & Film

Feb 27

Galloway competing in a race — Image Source: Scripps News

Jeff Galloway, an Olympic runner and the inspiration behind the Run-Walk-Run movement, has passed away at the age of 80 from stroke complications and brain bleeding. Back in 2021, Galloway suffered from a heart attack where his heart stopped for several minutes. Galloway was born in Raleigh, North Carolina on July 12, 1945. In his youth, he discovered the joy of running, which in turn helped his academics improve. He attended Wesleyan University and continued improving in both athletics and academics. The son of a naval officer himself, after graduation, he entered the service for three years before pivoting to become a teacher. So in 1974, he began a fitness training class at Florida State University and introduced the concept of adding walking intervals to runs, so people could run farther with less exhaustion. This became known as the Run-Walk-Run method or “Jeffing.”

In 1972, Galloway competed in the Munich Olympics in the 10,000-meter race. A couple of years prior, he won the first-ever Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta, Georgia. However, his impact didn’t come from these running victories but from his generosity in sharing his gifts with the rest of the world. He penned over 20 books on running, with the most popular being 1984’s Galloway’s Book on Running. He served as the official consultant for the runDisney program and helped family, friends, and students achieve their running dreams. After his passing, his family shared a tribute on social media, “Jeff had an almost supernatural ability to look at any person, any age, any fitness level…and not see what they were, but what they could become, in fitness and in life. He is survived by every person who ever crossed a finish line and thought, ‘I didn’t think I could do this.’ Run easy. Walk proud. And thank you, Jeff, for always believing in every one of us.”

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