On February 25, 2026, the running world lost a giant. Jeff Galloway, the 1972 Olympian who revolutionized the sport for millions of “average” people, passed away at the age of 80 from complications following a stroke.
While many know him for his famous “Run-Walk-Run” method, his life was a testament to the idea that running isn’t just for the elite; it’s a tool for a better life. At MarathonJournal.com, we look back at the legacy of the man who gave us permission to walk—and in doing so, taught us how to truly run.
The Unlikely Olympian
Born in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1945, Jeff Galloway didn’t start as a natural athlete. By his own admission, he was an overweight eighth-grader with little interest in sports. That changed when he discovered running as a way to avoid trouble, eventually finding his stride at Wesleyan University and Florida State University.
His competitive peak arrived in 1972 when he qualified for the U.S. Olympic Team in the 10,000 meters. He trained alongside legends like Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers, contributing to the “first running boom” of the 1970s. But while his peers focused on elite coaching, Jeff’s heart was always with the beginner.
The Birth of “Jeffing”
In 1973, Jeff began teaching running classes to beginners. He noticed that his students were often exhausted and injured. To help them, he encouraged short walk breaks before they felt tired. The results were immediate: injuries plummeted, and his students were actually having fun.
He refined this into the “Run-Walk-Run” method, now affectionately known as “Jeffing.” Even as an elite athlete, Jeff used the method himself; he set a marathon PR of 2:16:35 in 1980 by taking short walk breaks at every water stop.
A Life Saved by the Miles
In recent years, Jeff became a vocal advocate for running as a means of survival. He suffered a heart attack in 2021, which doctors attributed to Agent Orange exposure during his service in the U.S. Navy in Vietnam. His cardiologists told him that had he not been a lifelong runner, he wouldn’t have survived. Running had built the “collateral circulation” that kept his heart beating when an artery failed.
True to form, Jeff didn’t let a heart attack stop him. He returned to the road with a pacemaker, adjusting his intervals to 5 seconds of running and 30 seconds of walking, proving that the method he pioneered worked even for its creator in his most vulnerable moments.
The Legacy of the “Finish Line for Everyone”
Jeff Galloway was more than a coach; he was a mentor who believed the finish line belonged to everyone. Through his 20+ books, his long-standing column in Runner’s World, and his work with the runDisney series, he empowered hundreds of thousands to finish marathons they never thought possible.
He often said, “The goal is to finish with a smile.” Today, as the running community mourns, we do so with that same smile—grateful for the man who taught us that there is no shame in walking, only joy in the journey.
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