Early in his career, Jeff Galloway won the first marathon he entered in 1963, won the first Peachtree Classic 10K on July 4, 1970, made the 1972 U.S. Olympic team at 10,000 meters, and ran the Houston Marathon in 2:16+.

Later in his life, Galloway made much bigger contributions. For the last 40 years he has focused his attention on teaching beginning and intermediate (and injured) runners how they can use his Run-Walk-Run method to get fit, avoid injuries, and maybe run faster than they had imagined possible.

Few if any other elite runners have made such a complete transition from the front of the pack to the middle and back. Along the way, Galloway has transformed the lives of untold thousands of his followers.

He also kept running marathons, though now usually in 3 hours, 4 hours, 5 hours, and occasionally even 6 hours. There was nothing wrong with slow, he argued (and showed). It was all about maintaining your body in good enough shape to keep moving forward.

Galloway more than practiced what he preached. He went to new frontiers. Several weeks ago, it appeared that he would become the first person known to complete a marathon in 8 consecutive decades of life--from the teens into the 80s.

Then "The Universe seemed to develop another plan for me," as he put it. A household accident led to a leg injury that prevented his travel to Honolulu.

That's unlikely to stop Galloway for long. The Universe has tossed him obstacles in the past, and he has always developed a new approach to keeping fit and healthy. He'll no doubt follow that path as long as he can.

For more on Jeff Galloway and his coaching, training plans, and camps, visit JeffGalloway.com.

WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"

Use your smartphone to download our podcast from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for "running state of the sport."With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links.

Apple
Spotify
Audible
Pandora
I Heart Radio
YouTube

"Running: State of the Sport" is brought to you by MarathonHandbook.com and RunLongRunHealthy.com. Marathon Handbook is the world’s leading marathon website, with a special focus on trustworthy running information and free, runner-tested training plans for all ability levels.

"Run Long, Run Healthy" is a weekly newsletter focused on the newest, most scientific, and most useful training advice for runners. It was launched by Amby in 2021, and is now edited by Brady Holmer, exercise physiologist and 2:24 marathon runner.

Dathan Ritzenhein has been a headliner in American distance running for more than 25 years now, ever since his sensational high school career in Rockford, Michigan. He finished 8th-1st-1st in three successive Footlocker appearances, including an epic race in 2000 against Alan Webb and Ryan Hall.

After high school, Ritzehein starred at the University of Colorado and as a professional runner for Nike. He achieved best times of 12:56 for 5000 meters, and 2:07:47 in the marathon.

Since 2000, Ritzehein has been head coach of the On Athletics Club (OAC) in Boulder, which he has nurtured from a small, underfinanced group to a global power. Recently, his athletes won the steeplechase gold medal in the Tokyo World Championships (Geordie Beamish) and set a big female course record in winning the New York City Marathon (Hellen Obiri). Also in New York, Joe Klecker made a strong marathon debut with his 2:10:37.

In this podcast interview, Ritzenhein talks about all the above, plus the evolution of his philosophy of training and racing, as well as the major changes in training, shoes, and supplements he has seen in the last 10 years.

For more on the OAC, go here. The Club's Instagram page is here. Dathan's listing on Wikipedia is here.

WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"Use your smartphone to download our podcast from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for "running state of the sport."

With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links.

Apple
Spotify
Audible
Pandora
I Heart Radio
YouTube

In the running world, Nick Thompson is known for accomplishments like his 2:29:13 in the 2019 Chicago Marathon at age 44, and his outright win in last April's Lake Waramaug 50-mile in Connecticut at age 49.

In the business world, he is more known as the past editor-in-chief of Wired magazine, and the current CEO of The Atlantic, founded in 1857. He is almost certainly the fastest marathon runner among CEOs of a significant company.

In late October, Penguin Random House published Thompson's running memoir, titled The Running Ground: A Father, a Son, and the Simplest of Sports. It traces the evolution of his own running, his relationship with his complex, multi-faceted dad, and other interesting runners he has met on the road, including Bobbi Gibb.

In this podcast with George and Amby, Thompson discusses his busy life, his growing interest in ultras, his thoughts on health and aging, and his views of high-tech running devices-- both those he likes and those he doesn't like.

For more about Thompson, visit his website. To read a free selection of his running essays, visit this page. Topics range from how to run fast past age 40 to why the Boston Marathon is a deceptively difficult course.

Here, also, are some recent video interviews with Thompson. Seven minutes on CBS Sunday Morning, and 2 hours with Rich Roll.

WHERE TO FIND "RUNNING: STATE OF THE SPORT"

Use your smartphone to download our podcast from Apple, Spotify, Pandora, or YouTube Podcasts. Once you've selected your favorite app, search for "running state of the sport."With your computer, tablet, or smartphone, you can also listen direct to “Running: State of the Sport” at the below internet links.

Apple
Spotify
Audible
Pandora
I Heart Radio
YouTube

"Running: State of the Sport" is brought to you by MarathonHandbook.com and RunLongRunHealthy.com. Marathon Handbook is the world’s leading marathon website, with a special focus on trustworthy running information and free, runner-tested training plans for all ability levels.

"Run Long, Run Healthy" is a weekly newsletter focused on the newest, most scientific, and most useful training advice for runners. It was launched by Amby in 2021, and is now edited by Brady Holmer, exercise physiologist and 2:24 marathon runner.