Deacon Sports Xtra: Former Demon Deacon Utilizing Innovative Digital Technology for Run-Walk-Run App
3/17/2023 6:50:00 AM | Cross Country, Track and Field
“I had a great time at Wake Forest. It was an experience where I grew a lot. Some of my best friends were my teammates at Wake Forest, and we still talk on a daily basis. I definitely wouldn’t change anything about it.” - Westin Galloway
Jump on your phone's app store and you can quickly find Jeff Galloway Run-Walk-Run from Galloway Digital, led by Chief Executive Officer Westin Galloway, a former Wake Forest Cross Country and Track & Field star.
"At its core, it's a running training app utilizing my father's run-walk-run philosophy," Westin said. "When you first download it, there's a free run-walk-run timer. Anyone can use it and it will track your run and distance, while giving you audio prompts to run and walk. There are different layers you can add on with a subscription, including training, drills and meal plans."
The application hit the market last year and is quickly gaining popularity.
"It's going well," Galloway said. "We have about 20,000 users on the platform in the first couple of months. Things are moving in the right direction. What sets us apart from other apps out there is the ability to integrate with races and other organizations in a seamless manner."
Galloway believes the app will become a one stop shop for everything related to running, including aiding athletes as they prepare to compete in races across the country.
"You can buy merchandise or book a hotel — just anything they want to be focused on is housed in the app," he said. "It gives them exposure, but also gives them an opportunity to speak directly with participants in their race to provide information."
Although Galloway was around Wake Forest at a young age, it wasn't what he considered to be his collegiate destination.
"My grandfather went to Wake Forest and played football, while also running track," he said. 'He was president of the alumni association for a bit, and he started a school (The Galloway School) in Atlanta that I attended.
"Growing up, I never thought that was where I was going to attend. We would go to Wake Forest basketball games when they were in town, and I went to Winston-Salem once for an event; but it just never crossed my mind and wasn't ingrained in me that it was what I was going to do."
Like many Demon Deacons, it was a recruiting visit to campus showcasing what Wake Forest was all about that crystallized Galloway's college decision. Both his parents, Jeff and Barbara, were Florida State graduates.
"I was a runner, but also a soccer player," Galloway said. "I didn't make the decision to really pursue running until maybe my sophomore year of high school. That's when I started to narrow down the schools I was looking at. I was leaning toward Duke for a couple years, and I thought that's where I wanted to go."
"Then, I took recruiting trips to both schools and had a really home-like visit at Wake Forest. I took a total of three recruiting visits, and things were just completely different at Wake Forest. There was a welcoming energy that everybody had. It became a no-brainer as to what made sense to me. My grandfather had attended there, and it just aligned with the values that were instilled in me from our school in Atlanta."
Attending a school founded by his grandfather brought about its own set of challenges and obstacles.
"Kids always thought I got special privilege, but it was almost the opposite," Galloway said. "There were more eyes looking at me. My grandfather was in his office the majority of the time I was there. The atmosphere the school provides in terms of student-teacher relationship and allowing kids to grow was a huge learning experience for me. It was a great experience."
A small private school, Galloway explained there were just 55 students in his graduating class. That also meant just to field teams, he participated in a wide variety of sports at The Galloway School.
"It was a really small school," he said. "I was needed on some of these teams. I was a gifted athlete, who could play No. 2 singles in tennis but also be one of the leading scorers in basketball. I loved playing all the different sports. I thought through childhood that soccer was my number one sport. I got to play club soccer and go to England to play in some tournaments. Just trying to do other things at the school, that was the thing that kind of fell out, at least partially because of the time commitment to playing club soccer."
"I knew I could go to a better school if I concentrated on track. Even though it was a small school in Georgia, winning three state championships does help the resume in getting into a great school like Wake Forest."
The experience at Wake Forest set Galloway up for success as he entered professional life.
"I had a great time at Wake Forest," he said. "It was an experience where I grew a lot. Some of my best friends were my teammates at Wake Forest, and we still talk on a daily basis. It was life changing. I definitely wouldn't change anything about it."
He was in charge of two running specialty stores in Atlanta to begin his career.
"I always knew I wanted to be in the running world, but not necessarily on the retail side, more from the vendor side of things," Galloway said.
After that, Galloway served for seven years at ASICS, with his last four-plus years as global product line manager.
"I was in charge of every running shoe they put out during that time," he said. "I really learned how to listen to needs and tinker with products to fit the needs of consumers, while listening to various stakeholders — retailers, consumers and brands. You have to weigh all those opinions to find solutions."
The start of the Covid-19 pandemic served as an opportunity to assess where he was professionally and take on some changes.
"It gave me a chance to evaluate what I wanted to do with my career," Galloway said. "We looked at what we were doing in the digital space and took that on as my project. Here we are a few years later with a separate company that I've started. Our first main project is the app "Jeff Galloway Running Coach." We'll continue to add some courses and different things as we move forward."
Galloway admits it's been way too long since he's been back to campus, remembering being around for the dedication of the McCreary Field House seven years ago.
"It's remarkable," he said of the strides taken by Wake Forest Athletics in recent years, especially with coach John Hayes in the Cross Country and Track & Field programs. "To think of the teams we had when I was there versus what they did this season is virtually unfathomable."
"It's awesome. All credit to the coaches there in getting the right people there and then getting them in line to perform at a high level, all at the same time. It's always where we thought Wake Forest should be from a cross country perspective. This is a great step in that direction."
Galloway is currently living in the Orlando area with his wife Carissa, who is a registered dietician and race announcer for Run Disney, along with daughter Claire and son Eliud, who was named after Westin's grandfather Elliott Galloway, who is a world record marathon runner.
"My son will probably hate us, because it's hard to read and say because it's not necessarily phonetic," Westin said.
"At its core, it's a running training app utilizing my father's run-walk-run philosophy," Westin said. "When you first download it, there's a free run-walk-run timer. Anyone can use it and it will track your run and distance, while giving you audio prompts to run and walk. There are different layers you can add on with a subscription, including training, drills and meal plans."
The application hit the market last year and is quickly gaining popularity.
"It's going well," Galloway said. "We have about 20,000 users on the platform in the first couple of months. Things are moving in the right direction. What sets us apart from other apps out there is the ability to integrate with races and other organizations in a seamless manner."
Galloway believes the app will become a one stop shop for everything related to running, including aiding athletes as they prepare to compete in races across the country.
"You can buy merchandise or book a hotel — just anything they want to be focused on is housed in the app," he said. "It gives them exposure, but also gives them an opportunity to speak directly with participants in their race to provide information."
Although Galloway was around Wake Forest at a young age, it wasn't what he considered to be his collegiate destination.
"My grandfather went to Wake Forest and played football, while also running track," he said. 'He was president of the alumni association for a bit, and he started a school (The Galloway School) in Atlanta that I attended.
"Growing up, I never thought that was where I was going to attend. We would go to Wake Forest basketball games when they were in town, and I went to Winston-Salem once for an event; but it just never crossed my mind and wasn't ingrained in me that it was what I was going to do."
Like many Demon Deacons, it was a recruiting visit to campus showcasing what Wake Forest was all about that crystallized Galloway's college decision. Both his parents, Jeff and Barbara, were Florida State graduates.
"I was a runner, but also a soccer player," Galloway said. "I didn't make the decision to really pursue running until maybe my sophomore year of high school. That's when I started to narrow down the schools I was looking at. I was leaning toward Duke for a couple years, and I thought that's where I wanted to go."
"Then, I took recruiting trips to both schools and had a really home-like visit at Wake Forest. I took a total of three recruiting visits, and things were just completely different at Wake Forest. There was a welcoming energy that everybody had. It became a no-brainer as to what made sense to me. My grandfather had attended there, and it just aligned with the values that were instilled in me from our school in Atlanta."
Attending a school founded by his grandfather brought about its own set of challenges and obstacles.
"Kids always thought I got special privilege, but it was almost the opposite," Galloway said. "There were more eyes looking at me. My grandfather was in his office the majority of the time I was there. The atmosphere the school provides in terms of student-teacher relationship and allowing kids to grow was a huge learning experience for me. It was a great experience."
A small private school, Galloway explained there were just 55 students in his graduating class. That also meant just to field teams, he participated in a wide variety of sports at The Galloway School.
"It was a really small school," he said. "I was needed on some of these teams. I was a gifted athlete, who could play No. 2 singles in tennis but also be one of the leading scorers in basketball. I loved playing all the different sports. I thought through childhood that soccer was my number one sport. I got to play club soccer and go to England to play in some tournaments. Just trying to do other things at the school, that was the thing that kind of fell out, at least partially because of the time commitment to playing club soccer."
"I knew I could go to a better school if I concentrated on track. Even though it was a small school in Georgia, winning three state championships does help the resume in getting into a great school like Wake Forest."
The experience at Wake Forest set Galloway up for success as he entered professional life.
"I had a great time at Wake Forest," he said. "It was an experience where I grew a lot. Some of my best friends were my teammates at Wake Forest, and we still talk on a daily basis. It was life changing. I definitely wouldn't change anything about it."
He was in charge of two running specialty stores in Atlanta to begin his career.
"I always knew I wanted to be in the running world, but not necessarily on the retail side, more from the vendor side of things," Galloway said.
After that, Galloway served for seven years at ASICS, with his last four-plus years as global product line manager.
"I was in charge of every running shoe they put out during that time," he said. "I really learned how to listen to needs and tinker with products to fit the needs of consumers, while listening to various stakeholders — retailers, consumers and brands. You have to weigh all those opinions to find solutions."
The start of the Covid-19 pandemic served as an opportunity to assess where he was professionally and take on some changes.
"It gave me a chance to evaluate what I wanted to do with my career," Galloway said. "We looked at what we were doing in the digital space and took that on as my project. Here we are a few years later with a separate company that I've started. Our first main project is the app "Jeff Galloway Running Coach." We'll continue to add some courses and different things as we move forward."
Galloway admits it's been way too long since he's been back to campus, remembering being around for the dedication of the McCreary Field House seven years ago.
"It's remarkable," he said of the strides taken by Wake Forest Athletics in recent years, especially with coach John Hayes in the Cross Country and Track & Field programs. "To think of the teams we had when I was there versus what they did this season is virtually unfathomable."
"It's awesome. All credit to the coaches there in getting the right people there and then getting them in line to perform at a high level, all at the same time. It's always where we thought Wake Forest should be from a cross country perspective. This is a great step in that direction."
Galloway is currently living in the Orlando area with his wife Carissa, who is a registered dietician and race announcer for Run Disney, along with daughter Claire and son Eliud, who was named after Westin's grandfather Elliott Galloway, who is a world record marathon runner.
"My son will probably hate us, because it's hard to read and say because it's not necessarily phonetic," Westin said.
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