On Wednesday, August 24, motivational speaker, Jeff Galloway,
visited John I. Burton to speak to the students about his time as a track star and to motivate students to try new physical activities. Burton's principal, Aaron Williams, was contacted by Patty Bates of Mountain States Health Alliance to schedule a time for Galloway to come and speak to the students. Galloway was in the Wise County area for two days and visited many other schools, such as Eastside High School and Ridgeview High School. He came to this area in order to begin a running program for new runners.
During his visit to Burton, Galloway told the students, "I started out running... as a very much overweight and lazy kid, and the only reason that I started is that my school required all boys to go out for strenuous athletics after school." Galloway also stated that he showed no talent in running, but he stayed determined. He said that mental training was just as important, if not more important, than physical training. Galloway encouraged all students to remain positive and move one step at a time. He proclaimed that, overall, his time at the Munich Olympics were extraordinary. Jeff Galloway spoke about the Run Walk Run method, and said that having a strategy will help runners focus. Along with his own stories, he also told about his friends and teammates. All of the information he shared had one main theme in common: Never give up.
According to
Mr. Jeff Galloway's website, he started running when he was 13 years old in junior high school. He went to high school at The Westminster Schools in Atlanta, Georgia. Galloway received all-American honors in track and cross-country. After high school, he attended college at Florida State University. While he was there, he joined the Florida Track Club team. Later, he went on to run the 10,000 meter race in the Munich Olympics. Galloway invented the Run Walk Run method, which is a method runners use to increase recovery speed and to erase fatigue. The Run Walk Run encourages new runners to take breaks to walk during long distance runs. In addition to his accomplishments as a runner, he is also the author of nine books and founder of the oldest running store, Phidippides. Mr. Galloway is a very accomplished athlete, author, and entrepreneur. He is still running and encouraging new runners to never give up on their goals.
Written by: Megan D.
