Former Olympian comes to East Hills for run-walk-run method clinic

Amelia Camurati
Former Olympic runner Jeff Galloway will teach a clinic on his run-walk method on May 6 in East Hills. (Photo courtesy of Jeff Galloway Productions)

A former Olympic runner will host a clinic this summer in East Hills, offering advice on his method to finish faster without pushing harder.

Former Olympic runner Jeff Galloway, second from left, poses with Team Galloway Long Island members, from left, Laura Giordino, Hilary Topper and Donna Cantrell. (Photo courtesy of Hilary Topper)

Jeff Galloway will talk about the benefits of his run-walk-run method from 9 a.m. to noon May 6 at Blue Ocean Wealth Solutions at 2200 Northern Blvd. in East Hills.

Hilary Topper, program director of Team Galloway Long Island, said the $99 clinic will help runners learn how to stay injury free while still improving their times.

“A lot of runners are running are not running right,” Topper said. “What Jeff teaches us is we have to keep our feet low to the ground and turnover as fast as we can. For some of our runs, we’ll do a 10-second run and walk for 30 seconds. It’s much more efficient.”

Topper said the clinic, which will also include a run using the method, is for all experience levels, from beginner runners to experienced marathoners, and will also focus on how to properly stretch and what to eat before, during and after a race.

Team Galloway Long Island participated in its first 5K run at the Long Island Marathon weekend in 2017 with its youngest member, an 8-year-old boy, and its oldest member, a 74-year-old woman. (Photo courtesy of Hilary Topper)

Galloway, a native of Atlanta, Georgia, earned a spot on the 1972 U.S. Olympic team in the 10K race alongside former college track teammates Jack Bacheler and Frank Shorter.

During his time at Wesleyan University, Galloway recorded personal bests of four minutes and 12 seconds in the one-mile race and nine minutes and six seconds in the two-mile run.

In 1970, Galloway became the first winner of the Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta.

Now 72, Galloway spends his time traveling the country, teaching his method developed in 1974 and writing books about the method.

“Even though you’re in a race and everyone is rushing to get out there as fast as they can, don’t do that,” Topper said. “Take it slow and build up, so that the second half of the run, like when you get to mile six or seven of a half marathon, you can pick it up and pass everybody who started fast out of the gate because you’ve got more energy to keep going forward.”

Team Galloway Long Island members run a Magic Mile every other month to judge their progression. (Photo courtesy of Hilary Topper)

There are nearly 100 run-walk-run programs across the country and around the world, including Canada, Australia, Israel, Italy and Germany.

Topper, 55, also runs weekly with Team Galloway Long Island, visiting different places in Nassau and Suffolk counties every Saturday with their group of about 30 runners from across Long Island ranging from 8 years old to 74 years old.

The team has been running since February 2017 and have practiced at Cedar Creek Park, Sunken Meadow State Park, Fire Island and Heckscher State Park.

“I’ve noticed since I’ve been doing this method I’ve become a much more efficient runner, my time is faster than it ever was, and I can now control my pace,” Topper said.

To register, visit Jeff Galloway’s Running School website.

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