A memory will live on through AJC Peachtree Road Race

Jonathan Gallo’s memory will live on through his family and friends at the AJC Peachtree Road Race.

Gallo, who grew up in Marietta and graduated from Walton High school and the University of Georgia, died last August of a heart attack at age 47. He’d been running the Peachtree Road Race for roughly 20 years alongside friend Will Hammock. The two became friends at Georgia, where they were both sports writers for the student paper, the Red and Black.

After college, Gallo moved north, but he’d still come down each year from his Maryland residence to visit with Hammock and friends, and participate in the Peachtree. What began as a two-person commitment later expanded to include multiple runners - much younger ones.

“We had a Fourth of July tradition,” said Hammock, the sports editor at the Gwinnett Daily Post. “We’d have a barbecue every year on the Fourth of July. We did it pretty much every year. Initially, it was just me and him (running). Then we had kids. My two kids ran it. His daughter would join us. Most every year, there’d be me, him, his daughter and one or both of my kids.”

Gallo and his daughter, Zoe, were described as best friends. Zoe is 17 years old and has high-functioning autism. She became a huge sports fan because of her dad.

Credit: Photo courtesy of the Gallo family

They frequented Orioles and Ravens games. They traveled around the country to visit MLB ballparks and kept track with a baseball-focused map. They were even in Indianapolis when Georgia finally broke through and defeated Alabama for the national championship in January 2022. Gallo was a Bulldogs super fan and Zoe took after him.

Not long after her father’s death, Zoe wanted to know if she’d still come to Atlanta for the Road Race, placing value on tradition and an event she cherished. She estimated she’d run in six races with her dad. She looked forward to coming down to Georgia every year.

Karen Gallo, Jonathan Gallo’s widow, asked Hammock if he wanted to continue the tradition, and he responded, “absolutely,” especially knowing how important it’d be to his friend and the family.

“I know it’ll mean a lot for (Zoe) to do this,” Karen said. “I know it’s been really hard for her because Jon passing away was a shock. There was no warning. There was nothing I knew was wrong. It was like, at 3 p.m. he was fine talking to people, and then an hour later he was dead.

“Then in February of this year, my father and her grandfather passed away. It’s been such a hard year, and (Zoe) is such a wonderful young lady. She’s a straight-A student in a magnet school … and she’s just so mature. I tell her every day that she’s the most important person in my life, that she’s a blessing from God. I truly believe that.

“She is just an amazing, amazing young lady, and I know how much she loved her dad. They were like best buddies. It was like they did everything together.”

Zoe and Hammock will run Thursday, along with Hammock’s kids, Bryn and Dylan, and two of Gallo’s other friends, Jay Squillace and Todd Cline.

“It meant (so much to me) to be running next to him the whole race,” said Zoe, who’s been preparing for the race on an elliptical machine and routine outdoor running. “It (means so much to me) to continue doing it in dad’s honor.”

Karen added: “She knew that he would be so proud, that it would mean so much to him and that he would be looking down on her smiling.”

The group will have shirts acknowledging their cause. They will read, “Galloping Gallos” and “running in memory of Jon Gallo.” They’ll also feature a depiction of Gallo, with whom they shared so much love, laughter and memories.

“He was more like a brother than a friend,” Hammock said. “I never had a brother – I had a little sister – but if I did have a brother, it would be him. He was like an uncle to my children. Just a really great guy, do anything for you, and he always did, just a super close guy. So we’re glad we can keep his memory going.

“Most importantly, I’m just glad that we can do this for his daughter. We know how much she enjoys this trip and this race. As long as we can keep it going, we’ll be glad to do it. Glad we can do that for him and his family.”

Credit: Photo courtesy of the Gallo family

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