Jeff Galloway, a seminal figure in American distance running as an Olympian, bestselling author, coach, pioneering shoe-store owner and creator of the run-walk-run strategy that hundreds of thousands have used in races from marathons to turkey trots, died Feb. 25 in Pensacola, Florida. He was 80.
His death, in a hospital, was from complications of a stroke, his son Westin said. He had a home in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, east of Pensacola.
Galloway was present for, or participated in, landmark moments in the evolution of American distance running. He once held the national record for the 10-mile run. And while he did not win an Olympic medal or a major marathon or set a world record, he was described last year as “the most important person in the history of American distance running” by RUN, a digital media platform, for his broad impact on the sport…