One of my athletes, Matt Galvin, is racing the BMW Dallas Marathon on Sunday morning and let me tell you…I AM PUMPED UP!!! Without going into too many details, this guy has had a tremendous build up and is ready to go.
Matt’s story is pretty cool. He ran at Baylor and had a really good career there…he then went on to run for the Atlanta Track Club before relocating back to Dallas. At that point I started working with Matt and it’s been a pleasure to coach a guy with his talent, faith, and integrity.
For those that know Matt, you know that his FAITH drives him and that’s why I believe he will have a successful career in the marathon…honestly, that’s why I believe he’ll be successful in whatever he chooses to do.
Anyhow, I wanted to share my profile on Matt from earlier this fall as he prepares to race his marathon debut this weekend…
College:
Baylor University
Personal best times:
8:20 (3000 meters); 14:25 (5000 meters); 30:17 (10,000 meters); Half Marathon (1:07:18)
Goal for 2018-2019:
To have a successful marathon debut at Dallas in December and qualify for the 2020 US Olympic Marathon Trials and intentionally encourage one new person every day!
Favorite thing about running:
I love the community; it’s been awesome to get to know some amazing people around the world because of running. I am excited to continue to grow in my running and encourage people along the way.
Reason for chasing this dream:
I’m chasing my dream of the 2020 Olympic Marathon Trials because I want to use the talents that God has given me to the best of my ability to glorify Him. Strongly believe that He has called me to be the best runner I can be in this chapter of life. I like to imagine a conversation with my future kids about chasing dreams and get to tell them, “I gave my dream everything I had, and have no regrets about it! Go chase yours!!!” Excited to see where God takes me through running the next 2 years!
Favorite post-race meal:
Red meat and a chocolate milkshake.
Pre-race superstition:
Watching the movie Chariots of Fire — It is more than likely that I have the world record for most times to watch that movie!
Favorite workout:
Tempo runs; I am a tempo hog! Or, 20 x 400 meters on the track!
Proudest running moment:
It’s during my outdoor season, sophomore year at Baylor. I had a terrible cross country season and had a lot of doubts about my running. I worked super hard to get n shape and had no idea of where I was. Baylor hosted a small quadrangle meet and I was in the 3K. I had mentioned to a few friends that I was running in a local race, but didn’t expect anyone to show up. When I had lined up on the track, I looked over and saw 35 guys all cheering for me. Once I took the lead, you could of mistaken the race for the Super Bowl it was so loud. Their cheers carried me all the way to the finish line and I won the race. I was mobbed by my friends and it was absolutely incredible. That race showed me the importance of community and is one I will never forget!
Current job, outside of running:
Lighting Quotations at Architectural Lighting Alliance
Bonus:
I am a triplet and have two sisters, one who lives in Denver, and the other in San Francisco.
Double Bonus:
I happily married to my wife Catherine who is my better half! We just celebrated our 1 year anniversary in June!
Phillips Running 