I am a veteran Galloway program runner. I have completed 9 marathons and taken walk breaks during each of the races. My PR to date is a 3:41. I am in great shape and just because I walk during the race doesn't mean I am not fit to run one. I could run the whole way without stopping if I so desired. However, I am certain my time would be slower if I simply ran straight through than if I took walk breaks. I run for a mile and then walk for 30 seconds to 1 minute at each mile marker during a race. During training I run for 7 minutes and walk for 1. The Galloway walk breaks work on the same theory that "sets and reps" do at a gym. Think about picking up a 10 pound weight. It is easier to do 3 sets with 10 reps of bicep curls rather than doing 30 bicep curls in a row. That's basically all we do during the walk break, the marathon is broken down into 26 sets of 1 mile. During the walk break you can recover enough to maintain a faster pace for each mile. Running is personal and I think that all runners need to find a method that works best for them. There is nothing wrong with walking during a marathon, so don't let anyone tell you differently.

In Canada, the Running Room chain of stores offers running clinics that are based on the run/walk method - we call it the 'ten and ones', that is, running for 10 minutes, followed by walking for one minute and then repeated. This method is advised for beginning runners and for runners who expect to finish a marathon in 3.5 hours or longer. "Ostrichannie" is a fast runner. If I could run at that pace and cover 26.2 miles in a shorter time frame than my current PR of 3:59:30, then I probably wouldn't need walk breaks. But for runners running at a slower pace and who are out there pounding the pavement for 4, 5 or even 6 hours, walking breaks improve performance, aid in recovery and help to prevent injuries. I hope eventually to be able to run a marathon without walking breaks, but in the meantime I strongly believe that the one minute walking breaks are a benefit to those running for longer than 3.5 hours.

I ran the San Francisco marathon in 2003. The walking technique was quite common! I had read about it but since it was my first marathon, I really wanted to run the whole thing.

I do walking every 3 miles during a marathon and it doesn't slow my time at all. It also gives the muscles in your upper quads a rest and will result in a better recovery time. I used to do only race walking, but over the past 6 mos. I have started running in marathons with the walking. Great time out for your body.

I think following the training guidlines (whether it is Galloway or Runner's World or whatever) should be treated as guidelines designed to aid the runner in training and in the achievement of goals. Using them as hard and fast rules can lead to injury, and ignoring them completely can do the same. Personally, there are times when I need to "flush" the lactic acid out of my legs to make the experience more enjoyable, and there are times when I don't need to do it.

This is just a hunch....if your nutrition isn't perfect, then you subject yourself to pain that can be minimized during walk breaks. So, for those of us who like a few extra cheeseburgers a month and want to complete marathons, then walking for a few seconds every mile or two may be a way to have the best of both worlds.

I am glad that some marathons now allow walkers. My goal was to complete a marathon, but my knees could not take the pounding of running. I worked out actively in the gym, cardio and weight work outs, but could not run.
I completed my first marathon a few years ago, walking/running, but mostly walking. Walkers have to do some serious planning to keep a fast consistent pace in order to complete their race.
Since then I have done some 1/2 marathons, walking/running.
Walking gives everyone a chance to complete a marathon,including a 74 year old lady that I know who just had knee replacements.
Power to the walkers!

I am a huge fan of the Galloway run-walk method. It protects you from injury, and you recover from long training runs and the marathon faster. I've run seven marathons using run-walk ratios of 9:1, 5:1, and 4:1. Interestingly, my finish times improved each time I shortened the running segment. You need to read Galloway's book and find the ratio that works best for you.