American distance-running pioneer Jeff Galloway has crossed his final finish line.
The former U.S. Olympian died Wednesday afternoon at a hospital in Pensacola, Florida, after suffering a hemorrhagic stroke. He was 80.
Galloway wasn’t just another elite athlete. He helped spark the American running boom and changed how everyday people approached marathons forever.
“Jeff spent his life proving that anyone could cross a finish line,” his family said in a heartfelt statement. “He celebrated every mile, every walk break, and every finish. He coached millions, but found fulfillment in each of your stories of personal accomplishment.”
They added, “He empowered people to believe in themselves. He is survived by every person who ever crossed a finish line and thought, ‘I didn’t think I could do this.’”
Galloway earned his place in Olympic history at the 1972 Munich Games, competing in the 10,000 meters. But one of the most talked-about moments of his career happened off the medal stand.
During the U.S. marathon trials that year, Galloway was running in third place — just enough to make the team. At the finish line, he stepped aside and allowed a teammate to clinch the final Olympic spot.
It was a selfless move that defined him as much as any race time.
But his biggest legacy came years later.
As marathons exploded in popularity across the country, Galloway introduced a radical idea: you don’t have to run the whole thing.
His Run-Walk-Run method encouraged runners to take strategic walking breaks to manage fatigue and reduce injury. Critics doubted it. Recreational runners embraced it. Millions credit the method for getting them to their first 5K, half-marathon, or full 26.2.
And he proved it worked.
At the 1980 Houston Marathon, Galloway used walk breaks at every water station and still finished in a blazing 2:16:35 — faster than his previous run-only marathons.
Long before that, he had already built an impressive résumé. While running for Florida State University, he earned All-American honors. In 1970, he won the first-ever Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta — now the largest 10K in the world.
But for Galloway, medals and records were only part of the story.
He opened running stores. He led training groups. He hosted camps. He answered emails from nervous first-timers who doubted they could go the distance.
“Jeff had an almost supernatural ability to look at any person, any age, any fitness level and see not what they were, but what they could become,” his family said. “In fitness and in life.”
He is survived by his two sons and six grandchildren.
For millions of Americans who laced up their shoes because of him, Jeff Galloway wasn’t just an Olympian.
He was proof that the finish line belongs to everyone.
God wanted a runner!
Quite inspirational. RIP and condolences to his family, friends, loved ones and followers … and to those who were motivated by his example.