Our History and Mission

Foot of the Rockies was established in 1976 by Joe Friel in Fort Collins, Colorado. Rick and Marlene Bishop franchised to the Cheyenne Wyoming Foot of the Rockies on April 1, 1985 (no fooling).  

In 1987 Rick and Marlene purchased the Fort Collins store form Joe Friel and went from a single store to a chain of 2. In 2000 they sold the Fort Collins store going back to a single store, in order to focus more on their growing family.

After over 35 years as a business in Cheyenne, Foot of the Rockies is now one of the oldest locally owned running specialty stores in the nation, and we are looking forward to serving you for years to come!

 

Meet the Foot of the Rockies Team!!

Richard Bishop - Owner (Running Man Extraordinaire) 

Rick ran for the East High Track and Cross Country Teams. His Team won the Wyoming 4A Cross Country State Championship in 1976. As a dedicated athlete, Rick was awarded a Track and Cross Country Scholarship to the University of Alabama.

In the fall of 1978, during the hottest time of the year in that area, Rick and his friend/college team mate, Devin Hind, broke the world record for the fastest 2-man relay from Bad Water to Mt. Whitney California, a distance of 132 miles. They completed the race 6 hours ahead of the Cretchfields, two Great Britain men, who previously held the record. Rick and Devin finished with a time of 35:38:48. 

After graduation Rick returned to Cheyenne, and has been married to Marlene, the love of his life, since 1983. They have two children, Jay and Jenna.

Rick and Marlene bought and opened the Cheyenne Foot of the Rockies Running store in 1985. Foot of the Rockies is a thriving and successful specialty running business that has enjoyed serving Cheyenne and it's surrounding communities for 35 plus years.

Along with figuring out a new business, Rick, with a passion for life and a deep love for running, continued on to serve as the Assistant Track and Cross Country Coach for East High between 1993 and 1995. Later, as the Assistant and then Head Coach, he took charge of Central High's Cross Country, Indoor & Outdoor Track Team from 1995 to 2013.

Rick loves spending time at his store, working on projects in his screen printing business and enjoys providing race conduction services for race events in the local community. Don't be surprised if you see Rick out for his daily run along the Greenway or in Cheyenne's hidden gem, Curt Gowdy. 

Rick's Racing PR's:

• Mile                        4:09
• 2-Mile                     8:52
• 3-Mile                    13:59
• 5k                           14:21  
• 1/2 Marathon         1:07:45
• Marathon               2:21:47

Keep running, it's showtime!!

 

Marlene Bishop - Owner

Marlene competed on the East High track team as a high jumper, and enjoyed  lifting weights through high school and into college. After high school she got her degree in Accounting from the University of Wyoming.  After college she came back to Cheyenne and worked for AMF Wyatt Manufacturing Co. as a Jr. Accountant. She also worked for Tyrrell Chevrolet as an office manager.

Marlene and Rick met in high school and dated off and on through college. They got married in 1983, and opened the Cheyenne Foot of the Rockies Store together in 1985.

They have 2 children, Jay and his wife Venessa who live in Cheyenne, and Jenna and her husband Lucas who live in Utah. They also have 2 grandchildren.

Marlene enjoys working in the store. She loves people and has a passion for fitting people in the correct shoes.  This includes helping to solve any bio mechanic issues they may have and getting to know each of her customers on a more personal level. She loves to travel, spending time with Rudy (her little dog), riding bikes, flower gardening, birds of any kind, and walking for fitness and exercise. 

     

 

 

 

Alejandro Garcia (All-E)- Employee/Shoe Extraordinaire

Alejandro Garcia, better known as Ale, started his Foot of the Rockies tenure in the Winter of 2015. Since then, he has worked as a seasonal worker aiding the shoe business during the summers and some winters. During the fall and spring, he teaches K-12 Physical and Health education at Creek Valley Schools in Chappell, NE. There, he also serves as the Head Cross Country and Track Coach. 

Before his time at Foot of the Rockies, Ale attended high school in Pine Bluffs, WY. There, he excelled at track and field. He set four school records, won two team state championships, and four individual state championships. His love for running took him to Gillette College on a full-ride scholarship where he attained 5 All-American awards. After his two years at Gillette, he transferred to Chadron State College on a track scholarship. There, he won multiple accolades including four school records, two Academic All-American awards, Academic All-American of the Year for track and field 2017, Second Team All-American in the 1500m, RMAC Man of the Year, 4 RMAC Summit Awards, Elite 90 D2 Cross Country, 6 All-Academic RMAC, 2 RMAC Academic Athlete of the Year awards, 2 All-Region Awards, 2 Chadron State Cross Country MVP awards, and 2 Eagle Awards. Ale continues to run post-collegiately in and around the Cheyenne area.

 

Jorge Garcia - Shoe Genie

Following in his cousin's (Ale's) foot steps, Jorge made the decision to join the Foot Family in Summer of 2018. Here, Jorge has been able to learn the ins and outs of running specialty, thus becoming a vital piece to the summer squad. Jorge is a high school Spanish major and looks forward to graduating in the spring of 2023. This fall, he will be getting his first taste of high school coaching at East High as their assistant cross country coach. 

 

Gabe Floud - Running Shoe Expert

Gabe is a talented and experienced athlete who has a deep love for all things running and swimming. He is also a huge Muppets fan, loves a good game or book, recently graduated with an Engineering Degree from UW and enjoys helping people. 

 

 

 

                                                 Gracie Craig

                                              Bio Coming Soon!