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 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 Terrell 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 who live in Cheyenne, and Jenna and her fiance who live in Utah.   

Marlene enjoys running the store and has a passion for helping people. She also loves traveling, time with her little dog, riding bikes, flower gardening, birds of any kind, and walking for fitness and exercise. 

     

Liberty Hoover - Store Manager

Liberty joined the Running Specialty Team at Foot of the Rockies in January of 2020.

While growing up in Cheyenne, Liberty loved staying active and took every opportunity to play any and all sports she could, which was sporadic and was just with friends but included softball, football, soccer, and her favorites, Ultimate Frisbee and Volleyball. She played Ultimate Frisbee the most, and even went on to compete in a National Tournament in Atlanta Georgia at the age of 17.

Though she has fully enjoyed any and all physical and outdoor activities all of her life, she didn't start her running hobby until the age of 21. Although somewhat accidental, this new hobby then budded into a love for obstacle races, which combines the joys of running with strength and agility competition.

Liberty loves doing Spartan Races and Tough Mudder's and loves running themed races such as the Hot Chocolate Run 15k, Black Light Run 5k, Terrain Race 5k, Watch 4 Traffic 5k, Bolder Boulder 10k, Cannoli 5k, Longhorn Stampede 5k, Thanksgiving Day 4 Mile, and a wide number of trail races!

While she mostly runs for her own enjoyment and physical fitness, Liberty has ambitions to complete a Spartan Trifecta, A Tougher Mudder, a 1/2 Marathon, a Full Marathon and to complete a race in a foreign country! 

 

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. 

 

Harrison Blakely - Employee (Running Shoe enthusiast)

Harrison has been working at the Foot since December of 2021. He is currently working on getting his bachelors in Psychology at the University of Wyoming. Before working at the Foot, Harrison ran cross Country and track for East High School. This gave him firsthand experience for the ins and outs of what kind of good shoes someone in his free time, Harrison enjoys making music with his band and going for runs when the weather allows it!

 

Jacob Olsen - Employee (Running Shoe Connoisseur)

 Jacob is the newest member to the team joining us in August of 2022. He is attending college at the LCCC here in town, and plans to transfer to the University of Wyoming after getting his associates degree to then get his bachelors. From his high school Cross Country and Track career he has learned the ropes around these running events and knows the ins and outs of the necessary running equipment to be successful. He has strengthened that knowledge with his experience here in the store.

He is still an avid runner and enjoys writing short stories when he can.