Jeff Galloway has passed away.

[nancipants]

I thought this deserved its own thread. Jeff Galloway has passed away at the age of 80.

His family posted the following on social media. It shows how truly inspiring he was and how many lives he changed.

“Sadly, we lost someone truly irreplaceable today. We are heartbroken to share the news of the passing of Jeff — a husband, a father, a grandfather, a coach, a mentor, and a believer in every single one of you.

Jeff spent his life proving that anyone could cross a finish line. He celebrated every mile, every walk break, and every finish. He coached millions, but found fulfillment in each of your stories of personal accomplishment.

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, in fitness and in life.

He was genuinely thrilled by every single accomplishment, whether you were crossing the finish line of your fastest marathon or nervously finishing your first mile. To Jeff, both were worthy of celebration because both required you to believe in yourself and take the risk of trying.

Jeff did not just make runners. 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”.

Run easy. Walk proud. And thank you, Jeff, for always believing in every one of us!”

 

[nancipants]

He is survived by every person who ever crossed a finish line and thought, “I didn’t think I could do this”.

This. Right here.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

So sad. He was such an important person to the RunDisney community. What a legacy though.

 

[Z-Knight]

I'm glad I got meet him one last time Marathon weekend. I gave him my two coins and he gave me his time and his advice. He is already missed.

 

[pinkxray]

I’ve done a few Disney half marathons. Never would have attempted it without having read his book and the run/walk method. Thank you Jeff!

 

[Fischstick]

He is 100% the reason I ever considered doing the marathon. Such a kind man and generous soul. His legacy will endure and he will be missed!

 

[FFigawi]

I can’t think of anyone who has done more for the general running population with his run/walk methodology and support for everyone from the back to the front of the pack.

 

[Dopey 2020]

I huge part of what got me running marathons, I was lucky enough to have met him several times and run beside him in a runDisney 5k. Just a genuinely nice person who will be missed.

 

[DianaMB333]

https://marathonhandbook.com/jeff-galloway-dies-at-80/

This obituary is so heart felt.. I wholeheartedly agree .. many lives had changed because of him

Thank you Jeff

 

[Jonnnyap]

Jeff inspired so many people and made the world a better place. My heart goes out to all who are grieving and remembering him.

Run on, brother.

 

[tx911]

Wow. He will be missed! His was the first book on running that I ever had. RIP.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

Like many others, I had the chance to meet Jeff once or twice and always appreciated how generous he was with his time. What I find myself drawn to reading posts here and on social media is a sense of loss for someone who was such a humble inspiration to millions of people, especially at this time. As the post from his family said, he (an Olympian no less!) believed in us before many of us did on our own. There is so much power in anyone believing in you, let alone someone as accomplished as Jeff was. I hope that I and all of us in the running community continue to pass that spirit on.

 

[Fenway1970]

I obviously knew who he was but had never really read much of his back story until this morning. I mean, this guy was elite. And for him to have embraced us “not so fast” runners the way he did and help so many people realize that dream of 26.2 is impressive and inspirational. Awesome dude. A loss for the rD community and the running community at large. He will definitely be missed.

 

[Baloo in MI]

I just wrote this on the Marathon thread and then saw this, seemed right to drop here.

A few weeks back at the Disneyland Half Expo I was standing waiting for my virtual group to be called to enter the merch line. Standing there looking at the crowd with my wife it opened up and just behind them was Jeff standing there meeting people. I said to my wife - hey, there is Jeff Galloway! She had to give me a push to go meet him, as I was hesitant to actually talk to him. But he could not have been nicer! And I was able to say thank you for run/walk/run and how it saved my ability to run and I thanked him for all he has done for the runDisney Community. He asked a few questions and treated me like I was an old friend and not an awkward goofball! He let me get a picture with him and he signed my bib, which I will treasure.

I am sooo grateful to him and all he has done and I am so grateful to my wife for giving me the push I needed as that short encounter means so much to me. Love and prayers for his family, friends and all of us he impacted! Pretty sad day

 

[smileyanna]

Wow. He will be missed! His was the first book on running that I ever had. RIP.

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My dad showed me this book when I was a teenager, and told me that he has secretly always wanted to run a marathon. I thought my dad was crazy: we did not run, we barely exercised, we were overweight. A few years later I was struggling in grad school on the other side of the country and signed up with a charity that was training for the Vancouver marathon that used the Galloway method. It was 2002. Dad and I (and my siblings) ran the NYC marathon together the next year. We’ve all run hundreds of races since then, always with run-walk intervals.

I’ve read that book cover to cover multiple times. So many long runs with friends and family. Such an impact on my life.

RIP

 

[Simba's Mom]

Wow. He will be missed! His was the first book on running that I ever had. RIP.

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DH had that book also, and swore by everything he said/wrote.

 

[lookingforsunshine]

Jeff is also the reason we have running stores the way we do today. My heart is heavy.

 

[Mle8308]

I've always been curious about his method and wanted to start running (I am a big fan of walking and I exercise every way but running). This just might be my inspiration to do so! I'm going to have to buy his book. Condolences to his family and the running community he helped build.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

A real loss for so many of us. My preferred means of mileage is power/speed walking, simply because I suffer from exercise induced bronchoconstriction/asthma. While I've gone back to straight power/speed walking because it's more enjoyable for me, I gave Jeff's plans a try back in 2019-2020. While I didn't love it, I stuck with it for some time and it was the first time in my life that I was able to call myself a runner. It ultimately helped give me the courage to train and sign up for my first rD experiences. What's funny...even though I'm no longer using his interval methods, that "you can do it" mentality from my success and vocal encouragement in his training apps I used from that time around has stuck with me to the point that it's inspiring my current power walking experiences. I have back to back half marathons coming up in a couple of weeks and I really don't know if I would have believed I could if it hadn't been for Jeff's training tools. Rest in peace.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I can't imagine the Princess Expo without him today. Or that he won't be at the finish line tomorrow, Saturday, or Sunday.

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." 2 Timothy 2:7. You'll be missed, Jeff Galloway!