Our Story
Fleet Feet Columbia has a team of amazing and knowledgable members! Our owner Nancy Yaeger, a longtime runner and triathlete, managed a specialty running store prior to opening Fleet Feet.
Our employees are team captains, collegiate atheletes, retired cross-country moms, Ironman and more. We come from different places but are united by one passion – making sure YOU are ready to hit the pavement.
Fleet Feet Columbia opened in mid-July 2017. Even before our doors were opened, runners were crowding outside and racking up miles. You've probably seen us running and walking around Columbia.
However, there’s only so much you can learn online. Come in and say hello!
Nancy has been a runner since her gym teacher encouraged her to run in first grade. Fourteen years ago, a friend persuaded her to take her love of running and start competing in triathlons. Her first trip down the pool was not pretty but she kept going and did her first triathlon at Trizou in 2009. Since then she has completed numerous triathlons, marathons and ultra-marathons, including 3 Full Ironman Triathlons.
Nancy was the head coach for the Stephens College Cross Country team for 5 seasons until the summer of 2019. She is a USAT Level 1 Certified Coach. She was the founder of Tiger Endurance Company, a youth triathlon team in Columbia, MO. and was one of the founders of the Heart of Missouri chapter of Girls on the Run. She has encouraged and coached numerous athletes. Nancy loves helping others reach their goals.
As a coach, Nancy is dedicated to making sure her athletes learn proper form and make good use of strength training to lessen injury risk. She brings that same passion to the store to help walkers, runners, and triathletes to find what works for them.
Kathy Lee
Manager
Kathy is a late comer to running having started when she was 47 years old. Originally from Sarasota, FL she joined the Air Force after high school and served in Texas and Germany. Kathy left the service to stay home with her two children. She received her bachelors degree in management from Park College and soon after also began homeschooling her children. After the kids graduated, Kathy started meeting with local running groups and discovered a love of running and the companionship and camaraderie it brings. She's run 7 marathons, including Boston in 2009, and numerous halfs and shorter runs. She also enjoys biking and camping on the Katy Trail and has ridden the entire trail 7 times with the State Park system. Kathy was the director of the Heart of America Marathon from 2018 to 2022. These days, she can be found hiking around the trails and creeks with her lab mix puppy and grandson, and running shorter distances.
Sidney was born and raised right here in Columbia. She started swimming at age 5 and swam for The MAC summer league and Columbia Swim Club. Sidney took her love of swimming and started competing in triathlons. She qualified for numerous Ironkid Championships and participated in numerous local 5K and 10K races. She also started playing volleyball at a young age and played all 4 years on the Hickman High School Volleyball team. She is now attending The University of Missouri studying Business with an emphasis in Marketing working towards certificates in Sales and Digital Marketing. In her free time, she loves going to concerts and music festivals with her friends, being outdoors, volunteering at the Peace Nook, and playing with her cat Soop!
Andrea Knollmeyer
Inventory Coordinator
Andrea moved to Columbia from Nashville,TN.
She has always had a passion for being active. She enjoys biking on the Katy trail around Columbia and hiking throughout mid Missouri. She also enjoys kayaking and waterskiing.
Annie Fennewald
Inventory Manager
Annie has lived in various states, but now calls Columbia, MO, her home with her husband, Andrew, and their adorable cats. She started her fitness journey in her late 20’s winging it on her own. A couple of years later when she moved to Columbia, her aunt tricked her into a bike ride that turned out to be part of a triathlon training group. From then on, she began training for and competing in running and triathlon events. Now, you’re more likely to find her enjoying a group fitness class or lifting in the gym; a run isn’t out of the question.
Annie loves to travel so if you don’t see her in the office, she’s most likely on one of her adventures.
Debbie Gerding
E-Commerce Specialist
Debbie is originally from St. Louis but has lived in Columbia since 1998. Debbie started with us from day 1 as an outfitter but when Covid hit, she took a job working from home for the University of Missouri. She did not want to leave us, so she now works on Sundays helping fill online orders and helping as needed. She loves working with the young kids as her own kids are grown, and she refers to herself as “everyone’s mom”. Debbie’s running career started at age 42 when she ended up joining a beginners’ running group with some girlfriends in 2010 and ran her first half-marathon. Since then, she’s run several half and full marathons. Besides running, Debbie’s other passion is her two golden retrievers. She worked with her older retriever, Ella, for 2 years and got her certified as a therapy dog. Debbie and Ella frequently visit the University Hospital visiting staff and patients.
Maddie Welsh
Team Lead/ Outfitter
Maddie is originally from Festus, MO where she ran cross country and track and played basketball in high school. She ran with the Mizzou running club while in college and recently graduated with chemistry and political science degrees. During the summers, she works at a ziplining resort in Durango, CO where she can frequently climb mountains, rock climb, and hike. She also loves scuba diving, Jeeping, weightlifting, and all kinds of adventure! Maddie’s future goals include attending law school and hiking the Appalachian Trail.
Stephen Czujko
Outfitter
Originally from Washington, D.C., Stephen is a third-year PhD student at Mizzou studying Archaeology with hopes of one becoming a professor. Stephen has been an avid runner since he was a teenager, when he was first introduced to Cross Country and Track. He competed in both sports during high school and college. Before moving to Columbia to pursue his doctoral degree, Stephen worked as an assistant track coach at a D.C. high school where he taught. Today, running remains a favorite past-time of Stephen's. Though he still competes in the occasional road race or marathon, he mainly enjoys exploring trails and paths in and around Columbia. He is excited to share his passion for running with the Fleet Feet Columbia community.
Graham Bartlett
Outfitter
Graham grew up in the Columbia area. He fell in love with running in his sophomore year of high school. He is currently attending Missouri S&T and studying Aerospace Engineering. He was the cross-country captain for Hallsville during his time there. He is currently training for his first Marathon!
Abbie Gunter
Outfitter
Abbie grew up in just outside of Columbia. She was born into a family of runners but didn't really start runner on her own until high school. Her longest run has been a half marathon, but she hopes to run a full marathon someday!
Adam Farmer
Outfitter
Adam is from Columbia, MO. He attends Rock Bridge High School and loves to spend his time practicing golf. In school, he loves learning about business, but especially entrepreneurship and marketing. Although he doesn’t run competitively anymore, he still loves to run every morning!
Jay Allen
Outfitter
Jay grew up in the Columbia area. He started running competitively in middle school and continued throughout high school competing in State Cross Country four years in a row and gaining several school records. After highschool he joined the Missouri National Guard and started college at Missouri State University. However his studying was cut short as he was deployed to Syria. He plans to return to college in fall 2024 and study History Education and Coaching. He has competed in several 5ks during and after high school and would like to in the future be able to work up to marathons and even ultra marathons.
Nebula Ridings
Outfitter
Nebula is originally from Farmington, Missouri, where she played club volleyball growing up. She now attends Mizzou pursuing a degree in Nuclear Medicine Technology. Back at home, Nebula took advantage of all of the trails and rivers that were nearby at any chance given. In her free time, she loves being outdoors - especially to go fishing, hiking, on float trips and, camping. Along with this, Nebula enjoys going to the gym every morning to lift weights or run a few miles. She earned her NASM Personal Training Certification in 2023 and will be getting her NASM Nutrition Certification soon.
Danny Gantz
Outfitter
Danny is from Farmington MO. He attends Mizzou and is studying health sciences and exercise sciences. He enjoys CrossFit, weight training, and running.
Sophie Zion
Outfitter
Sophie is from Huntley, IL. She attends Mizzou and is majoring in Physical Therapy. She grew up doing a lot of different sports but in high school, she played lacrosse and cheered competitively. She played on the club lacrosse team in the fall. In her free time, she likes to run, especially on the MKT trail, and listen to new music!
Cody Wilberg
Outfitter
Haley Boyd
Outfitter
Haley grew up in Columbia. She has always loved running the local trails and exploring new routes. She is the mother of three active sons, and spends most of her time just living life with them! They love running, biking, camping on long weekends, and playing soccer together. When not out on a run, or running her boys around to their various activities, you can find Haley on her favorite porch swing with a hot cup of coffee and a good book.
Carrie Slayton
Outfitter
Carrie was born and raised in Columbia. She attends Rock Bridge High School. Carrie discovered her passion for fitness early and loves doing CrossFit with her mom. She dreams of becoming a lawyer and is dedicated to her studies to achieve this goal. Outside of school, Carrie enjoys spending time with her family and friends, staying active, baking, and volunteering in her community.
Cara Wilfong
Outfitter
Cara grew up in Columbia, Missouri. She did her undergraduate degree at Westminster College in Fulton and later her Doctor of Chiropractic degree at Logan University. She works part-time as a chiropractor. She ran cross country in high school and has always loved running. She is currently training for her second marathon.
Ellie Stanley
Outfitter
Ellie is from Bloomington, IL, and attends the University of Missouri. She is studying Health Sciences and plans to become a physical therapist. She grew up playing several sports like volleyball, golf, and softball and still loves to stay active in any way possible. For Ellie, running has always been a fun way to get outside and challenge herself. She loves meeting new people and trying new things!
Juliet Tonkin
Outfitter
Juliet recently moved to Columbia from Florida, where she attended Stetson University. While there, she enjoyed running cross country and exploring new trails with her teammates. She earned her degree in Environmental Sciences and now works to protect the parks and natural areas she enjoys daily.
Maci Kloeppel
Outfitter
Maci is originally from a small town called Freeburg, MO. She attends Columbia College and is studying Biology. She acquired her love of running from her mom who was a cross-country coach. She played soccer in high school and in the past two years started running again. She hopes to run a marathon someday or even participate in some triathlons!!
Leah Vandaveer
Outfitter
Leah was born and raised in High Ridge, Missouri, and has been running since she was 12 years old. She was inspired to start running by her brother who ran cross country for a couple of years in high school. She remembers going to one of his meets and immediately falling in love with the sport. She ran cross country and track in middle and high school and has run many 5k, 10k, and half marathon races. Now Leah is at Mizzou studying Microbiology while also running with Mizzou’s run club. Aside from running, she enjoys photography, listening to music, and exploring the outdoors.
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