Jeff Galloway, an Olympian and pioneer of running and walking, has died at the age of 80

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

Galloway suffered a hemorrhagic stroke and died at a hospital in Pensacola, Florida, his 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 the advice that boosted their confidence and took them to the starting lines of the race.

Galloway’s family announced the surgery on February 20 and invited the public to show their support.

Jim Vance, an elite endurance sports consultant in San Diego, said Galloway was a “pioneer” in getting people to run.

“It removed the barrier to entry, which was mostly mental,” Vance told The Associated Press. “Running is not supposed to be a suffering fest. It should be something peaceful and fun, so people can enjoy running and not be afraid of it.”

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

“My mission now, at 80+, is to show that people can do things that wouldn’t normally be done, and they can do them safely,” he told the New York Times in December.

Galloway’s approach to running, walking and running began in 1974 when he agreed to teach a running class at Florida State University, two years after competing in the 10,000 meters at the Olympics. He thought it might attract customers to his new Phidippides store for runners.

“Nobody had run for at least five years. So we started walking for a few minutes of jogging for a minute,” Galloway said on his website.

“I spent some time with each group, during the run, to pace the walking intervals so that no one would puff up — even at the end,” he said. “Walking breaks kept the groups together. Everyone passed the final test: finishing the 5K or 10K with a smile on their faces.”

Galloway believes that walking while running reduces the risk of injury, conserves energy and maintains confidence.

“I’ve been using it ever since, and continue to adjust my running-to-walking ratios based on the pace of each mile and individual needs,” he said.

Galloway had his own recipe. He walked through every water stop during the 1980 Houston Marathon and finished with a faster time of 2:16:35 than his previous races of 26.2 miles (42.1 kilometers), the Times reported.

He shared his running philosophies through books, websites, and retreats. Galloway was the official training consultant for the RunDisney racing series at Walt Disney Company resorts, and will be among the competitors. Many fans took to the internet to pay tribute after his recent surgery.

“I never thought I’d be a runner. I never thought I’d run a half marathon,” Karen Bock Lucey of Jacksonville, Florida, said in a video. “I’m 70 and have run many times since my 60th birthday when I discovered Galloway running. I just want to say thank you.”

Susan Williams recalled seeing Galloway struggle at the end of a half marathon in Murray, Kentucky, in 2011.

“She passed me, and my ass was cramping,” she said. “I turned around and came back. She talked me through it. It was great.”

Colorado-based running coach Bobby McGee said Galloway’s run-walk-run style made running accessible to the masses.

“When a group of people gets together for any type of running — from marathons to fun runs — then they talk about their time,” McGee said. “No one asks them if they managed the whole thing.”

Galloway leaves two children and six grandchildren.