Jeff Galloway remembered: A tribute to running icon

Friday feelings

Feb. 27 — The 20th Annual Chili for the Children cookoff is this Sunday at Bar{n} in Dunwoody Village, benefiting Make-A-Wish Georgia. The event has raised over $450,000 for charity over the past two decades.

⛅ Partly cloudy with a high of 66° today. The weekend will be a mix of sun and clouds with temperatures in the 70s.

🏛️ State Rep. Ruwa Romman dropped her bid for Georgia governor and announced she would instead seek the state Senate District 7 seat being vacated by Sen. Nabilah Islam Parkes.

🍔 Whataburger representatives got a mixed reaction from Tucker residents at a public hearing on its plan to open a store on Hugh Howell Road.

🛋️ Crescent Communities purchased a 13-acre site near Northlake Mall that will be transformed into a new residential community called RENDER Tucker.

🏨 The JW Marriott Atlanta Downtown will open this spring ahead of the FIFA World Cup in the former W Atlanta space.

🚨 A food courier was arrested by Brookhaven police and charged with armed aggravated assault after pointing a gun at restaurant customers.

🏀 The Hawks will host a Magic City tribute night on March 16 against the Magic, featuring the club’s famous lemon pepper wings, a performance by T.I., and a limited-edition hoodie.

🍴 Dining editor Beth McKibben has a roundup of restaurants that opened this month that you might have missed, including Corbu’s Pizza, F1 Arcade, and Jim ‘N Nick’s Barbecue.

ELSEWHERE

🎬 After Paramount Skydance raised its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery to $31 per share, Netflix backed out of the bidding war for the studio.

📉 The average 30-year mortgage rate fell to 5.98% this week, the lowest level since September 2022.

🇮🇷 The U.S. and Iran completed a third round of nuclear talks in Geneva with no deal announced.

🏒 Members of the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team apologized for laughing when President Donald Trump quipped about inviting the gold medal-winning women’s team to the State of the Union.

🕖 Here’s what’s in today’s newsletter:

• Remembering Jeff Galloway

• Film Review: ‘Pillion’

• Kate Chesnutt Connell on art

AND

• Top Stories of the Week

🏥 Join Move For Grady on April 25! Three intown biking distances and two run/walk options means there’s something for everyone. Come to move, stay for the party – plenty of food and drinks to celebrate at GSU’s Center Parc Stadium. SPONSOR MESSAGE

1. Readers remember Jeff Galloway

🎗️ Global running icon, inaugural Peachtree Road Race winner, Phidippides founder, and longtime Atlantan Jeff Galloway died Feb. 25 at age 80 after complications from a stroke.

Rough Draft asked readers to submit their memories of Galloway and to reflect on his impact on the local running community.

🎽 “Jeff, thank you for the lifetime of service, the enduring example of leadership, and the pathway you’ve proven for every participant in our sport and every professional in our industry.” – Mike Cosentino, Big Peach Running Co.

🏃‍♀️ “I will think of Jeff next weekend when I run a half-marathon, which I haven’t run in a long time, and will call on his guidance once again.” – Maureen Kelly

🏃‍➡️ “Just last week, I was asked what my ‘lucky break’ had been in the running business. Without hesitation, I said Jeff Galloway. Without his openness and encouragement, I’m not sure I would have had the confidence to open West Stride.” – Genie Beaver, West Stride

🕯️ See more tributes to Galloway here.

RELATED

🏃 The Atlanta Track Club’s Publix Atlanta Marathon and Half Marathon are sold out for their 20th running this weekend. Sunday’s half-marathon also serves as the USATF Half Marathon Championships for the second straight year.

Stutzmann Conducts Beethoven, Bruckner & Bach

SPONSORED BY ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

🎹 Music Director Nathalie Stutzmann presents two Delta Classical concerts featuring Classical giants – Beethoven, Bruckner, and Bach.

March 5 and 7, Stutzmann, known for interpreting these masters, welcomes pianist Leif Ove Andsnes, who, The New York Times raves, “has entered an elite circle for pianistic stardom…” for Beethoven’s high-octane Third Piano Concerto. Your Orchestra pairs it with Bruckner’s herculean Sixth Symphony.

✨ March 12 and 14-15, Stutzmann leads the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the award-winning ASO Chorus in one of the most revered masterworks – Bach’s glorious B minor Mass. Joined by celebrated soloists, the Orchestra and Chorus explore what’s considered to be one of the heights of human achievement. Get tickets here.

2. ‘Pillion’ finds the power in setting your boundaries

WEEKLY FILM REVIEW | BY SAMMIE PURCELL

💈 There are certain tropes that come to mind when we think about stories that deal with BDSM. There’s always a quieter, weaker counterpart (in some cases, the sub) who ends up melting down the walls of the cold-hearted dom. There’s a little bit of compromise, and both parties find that they can have all the hot, kinky sex they want as well as the fluffy, soft, in-love part. Everyone wins.

“Pillion,” which is one of the best romantic comedies to come along in ages, is different. At the beginning, we meet Colin (Harry Melling), who lives with his parents and spends his spare time singing in a barbershop quartet. One night, he meets Ray (Alexander Skarsgård), a biker who, as it turns out, is involved in a local gay biker/BDSM gang. The two couldn’t be more different – Colin is sweet with a shy sense of humor; Ray is hulking, quiet, intimidating. But Colin’s “aptitude for devotion” appeals to Ray, and the two embark on an intensely serious sub/dom relationship.

“Pillion” is a rom-com and coming-of-age all rolled into one, riffing on the tensions that arise in both coming-out and romance stories while never settling into those tropes. Written and directed by Harry Lighton, it hits its odd-couple, Brit-com beats with a joyous sensibility. And yet, it doesn’t compromise on the emotional journey of its protagonist, and that expert blend of emotion and comedy is what makes it work so well.

🏍️ Click here to read Sammie’s review. You can also find her review of the new documentary “Paul McCartney: Man on the Run” here.

🍿 Stay in the picture with Scene by Rough Draft, our weekly newsletter about Georgia’s film industry. Subscribe for free.

3. Kate Chesnutt Connell thinks your art collection should look like you

VIA SKETCHBOOK, A WEEKLY VISUAL ARTS NEWSLETTER | SUBSCRIBE

🖼️ Atlanta art curator and consultant Kate Chesnutt Connell enters a client’s home and quietly observes before saying much of anything.

She notices how people welcome guests, navigate spaces, and what they choose to display – flowers, records, or a stack of books. She looks for cues. The art conversation follows later. Her priority is understanding who the client is or who they aspire to be.

Chesnutt Connell holds two distinct roles. As a curator, she creates exhibitions around concepts, artists, and stories she feels compelled to share. As a consultant, she steps back, focusing solely on the client – their values, preferences, and budget. Her task is to translate these into a collection that authentically reflects them.

🎨 Read Sherri Daye Scott’s profile of Chesnutt Connell here.