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Jeff Galloway made history when he won the inaugural Peachtree Road Race, helping shape what would become one of the most iconic 10K races in the world.
ATLANTA — Atlanta’s running community is mourning the loss of one of its most influential figures.
Jeff Galloway, the winner of the first Peachtree Road Race in 1970 and a 1972 U.S. Olympian, has died at 80. He was remembered not only as an elite athlete, but as a coach, mentor and champion for runners of all abilities.
Galloway made history when he won the inaugural Peachtree Road Race, helping shape what would become one of the most iconic 10K races in the world. Two years later, he represented the United States at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, cementing his place among the country’s top distance runners.
But friends and fellow runners said his greatest legacy was not measured in medals or finish times.
“I would argue that Jeff has done more to pay it forward in the running community than any other successful celebrity fast runner,” Rich Kenah with the Atlanta Track Club said.
Through the Galloway Method, a run-walk training approach he popularized nationwide, Galloway transformed the sport for millions. His method emphasized alternating periods of running and walking, opening the door to first-time runners, those returning after injury and seasoned marathoners chasing new goals.
He helped shape training programs for runners across the United States and built a grassroots movement that made distance running feel accessible. Supporters said he had a unique ability to see potential in every athlete, celebrating the courage to start just as much as the triumph of a personal best.
“If you’ve ever stood at the starting line of the Peachtree, you’ve felt his impact,” Kenah said. “He didn’t just create runners. He created believers.”
Those who knew Galloway said that while he knew how to cross a finish line quickly, his favorite place during a race was often on the sidelines, cheering, encouraging and reminding others that they could go farther than they imagined.
In Atlanta, particularly at the Peachtree Road Race, his presence became synonymous with the city’s running culture. His influence, supporters said, will live on at every starting line and in every runner who once doubted they could finish.
Galloway is survived by his wife, children and grandchildren.
Funeral arrangements have not yet been announced.
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