Atlanta running legend, first Peachtree Road race winner Jeff Galloway dies at 80

Jeff Galloway poses in his Phidippides running store with the trophy he got for winning the first Peachtree Road Race in 1970. (Martha Dalton/WABE)

Jeff Galloway, a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic team who for decades inspired elite athletes and countless everyday runners by promoting a run-walk-run strategy, whether in a marathon or just a neighborhood jog, died Wednesday at age 80.

Galloway had a hemorrhagic stroke and died at a hospital in Pensacola, Florida, daughter-in-law Carissa Galloway said.

His influence was evident in the final days of his life: Throngs of people posted videos online, hoping for Galloway’s recovery from emergency neurosurgery and thanking him for advice that boosted their confidence and took them to race starting lines.