Jeff Galloway, Olympic runner and the man behind the run-walk-run method, passed away on February 25, 2026, at age 80. He was also the official training consultant for runDisney, which was the very race series that introduced me to his method.
An Inspiration for the Disney Marathon
I first heard of Jeff Galloway when I accepted a challenge from my friend Angela to run the Disney Marathon. I had never heard of the run/walk approach to running a race. I had run plenty of 5Ks and Triathlons but never walked during a “race.” I did one previous half marathon but struggled in the training and in the race. The distance of a marathon though seemed daunting to not apply this strategy. I wanted this. I wanted to finish. I wanted to not just finish. I wanted to dominate this, finish and feel amazing!
Run Walk Method for Training
I purchased his book and read it, applied his methods and began run/walking. This works. The confidence in my running built each week using his method. I knew I would finish 26.2, but I just wanted to be sure I finished before the balloon ladies (the pace sweepers who mark the course cut-off time) picked us up. Time constraints is what concerned me and not the actual running. I’m slow. I thought I couldn’t possibly walk/run this in “time.”
Training for a marathon is long, very long. Did I mention I live in Florida? Training for a marathon is also hot, very hot. The Disney Marathon is in January, which is great, since it should be cooler than July, which is when I started training. August was really hot, so was December. I was lucky enough to have trained in 8 different states during the course of training and had the opportunity to run in different neighborhoods and terrain. It was a lot of fun training in these different locations throughout 6 or so months of training runs.
Marathon Race Day
Then race day arrived—and so did the heat. The 2020 Disney Marathon was recorded as the hottest in the race’s history, and Disney cut the course short as a result. When I crossed the finish line, I handed off my medal and kept running until my Garmin read 26.2. I was going to finish the full distance no matter what. I genuinely believe that had I not applied the Galloway method throughout training and on that course, I would have just “finished” when I crossed that shortened finish line and called it a day. The method gave my body the physical capacity to match what I already had in me.
As the miles got longer on those weekend long runs, this method I believe helped me run better/longer than if I just “ran” all the mileage every training run. Of course, proper nutrition and hydration was a great assist to this whole process as well, but frankly if your body can’t move then nutrition/hydration won’t be the end-all-be-all to why you will finish a marathon.
Jeff Galloway the Trailblazer
My story is just one, but I know with confidence there are hundreds of thousands of runners who found their finish line because of Jeff Galloway. On our team, Steve Wittek said, “Jeff was a trailblazer of inclusion who opened up an entire world of distance running to new communities and markets. I doubt the sport would be where it is today without his unwavering dedication and genuine love for what he did.”
Rob De La Cruz echoed the sentiment by saying, “During the early running boom in the United States, Jeff Galloway showed that running was something that could be done by anyone. He popularized the run-walk method helping make the sport more accessible to athletes of all levels.”
Championing the Slow Runners
Jeff Galloway didn’t just coach fast runners. He championed the slow ones, the new ones, the ones who never thought they belonged on a starting line. That community is exactly who we serve at Sneakers4Good.
Every pair of sneakers we collect represents a runner, a walker, a weekend warrior who showed up and kept going. And each pair gets a second life in the hands of a micro-entrepreneur in a developing country.
If Jeff’s method has ever gotten you across a finish line, honor that by putting your worn running shoes to work.
The mail-in bag holds 6-8 pairs and shipping is completely on us. Every bag you fill keeps sneakers out of landfills and supports a running-connected cause you care about.
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