Kanayo Anekwe

Kanayo is our Special Event Coordinator, Race Sponsorship Coordinator, and our Director of Operations (yes, he does alot!).  Kanayo has been an active runner since high school. Kanayo Graduated from Quince Orchard High School in June of 2001. He ran Cross Country, indoor, and outdoor track during his sophomore, junior, and senior years. From there, Kanayo attended Mount Aloysius College in Cresson, PA. Kanayo graduated from Mount Aloysius in May of 2005 where he received his Associates’s degree in Accounting and his Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration.

Kanayo also ran Cross Country during his junior and senior years at Mount Aloysius. Kanayo joined the Fleet Feet team in November of 2005 and has loved every minute of it. He enjoys meeting new and exciting people who love to run. Kanayo knows that running takes a lot of determination and wishes all runners in the local area the best of luck in their athletics.  Kanayo hopes to see all of you visit Fleet Feet Sports very soon.

Flor Alvarez

Flor is our Co-Director of Sales and Merchandising.  She brought her creativity and passion for retail to Fleet Feet in February 2011.  13 years ago, she accidentally fell in to retail management at high-volume stores in the DC area and we're so glad she's ours now!  Flor got into running like lots of our customers did, to lose weight.  She has lost over 40 pounds and feels great, maintained it for 18 months, and is now trying to lose more!  She says, "Running is a great escape and has changed my life for the better!"  Please come in and talk to Flor about her experience and let her inspire you!

Outside of work, Flor really likes spending time with friends and family, and volunteering for important causes.  After high school, she was an Americorps volunteeer and learned that one person really can make a difference in the community.  We're proud that she's making a difference for our customers every day!

  Peter Goetsch

Pete is a Wisconsin native who has lived and been active with running communities in Chicago and western Canada. He recently moved to Gaithersburg from Victoria, BC. A former high school teacher and pastor, Pete spent the last 7 years working closely with race directors and running stores, before he joined our store as our Co-Director of Sales.  

A lifelong love for running fuels Pete's desire to share the sport with others and to help them reach their goals. Pacing others to fulfilling first-time marathons and half marathons is a passion that he has pursued through charities like Team in Training.

Pete has enjoyed participating in many marathons from Vancouver to Boston. After taking part in archealogical digs in the Middle East, he has added the Dead Sea Marathon to his list of goal races. When he isn't at Fleet Feet you can find Pete hiking, shooting pictures, or taking the dogs for a walk!

Rhonda Leib

As our Director of Purchasing and Inventory Control, Rhonda brings 15+ years of retail purchasing experience to Fleet Feet Sports, and is a certified personal trainer and certified running coach through RRCA (Road Runners Club of America).

She is one of our FIT experts in footwear and sports bras,  and will be very happy to help you get into the right equipment.

Rhonda is an avid runner, hiker, and camper.  She can be seen running 5K and other races in the area.  She has completed several half marathons, and may do a duathlon this year!

 Karen Craney

Karen joined our team as Director of Training Programs just in time for the Fall 2011 programs, upon retirement in July 2011 from Montgomery County Public Schools after 33 years in education.  She came to running late in life but has made up for "lost time" by running 13 half-marathons, numerous 10 mile, 10K and 5K races and even ran a marathon for her 50th birthday.  She has coached with many local running programs, is an active member of the running community and considers her position at Fleet Feet a dream job for her next phase of life.  Outside of running, Karen volunteers with a number of charity organizations.  Her first passion is long distance road cycling, and she travels to Italy every year for a bike tour riding through a different part of the country as well as doing rollerblading vacation tours.  

 Melissa Barber

Melissa attends Montgomery College, where she majors in Exercise Science. Her goal is to become a personal trainer.

Melissa has been running since kindergarten. She has participated in various sports, such as basketball, tennis, softball, and soccer.

Melissa is always smiling in the store and even though she looks very young, she knows the FIT process for both footwear and sports bras as well as anyone.

Outside of Fleet Feet, Melissa loves running, glitter, leopard print and eating, plus she is a wanna-be powerlifter!

 Seann Pelkey

Seann (shown with two of his student/athletes) is the coach of the Cross Country and Track teams at Quince Orchard High School as well as the teacher for AP World History.

His teams have won numerous state championships.

 He is an avid runner and can be seen at many local races. 

Heather DeLand

Heather is a Montgomery County native and enjoys running and being outdoors .  Her parents owned a sports store in the mall where she worked in high school and college.  After graduating from Clemson University (Go Tigers!) she was the Director of Training for a National Franchise Company.  Heather recently completed her first half marathon and comes from a family of athletes - her dad was a marathoner in his early life and now is a cyclist, her mom encouraged her love of field hockey, basketball and soccer, her brothers played football and her husband played for the Tigers as a walk-on and is currently training for a triathlon.  Heather can't wait to until her kids are old enough to play sports - she is looking forward to cheering them on!

Joel Lara

Joel recently joined the Fleet Feet Sports, Gaithersburg family as a FIT expert!  Joel grew up in Prince George's County and graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School (the best high school in the country if you ask him).  With a limited vertical leap and a suspect jump shot, he received a varsity letter in tennis instead.  To help manage the daily grind of being chained to a desk over the years, he turned to running.  It also helps him keep up with his active 8 year old daughter and 5 year old son.  With a Marine Corps Marathon and National Half Marathon finish under his belt, he's looking forward to more challenges in the future. 
 

Maggie Smith

Maggie attended Quince Orchard High School where she ran cross country for Seann Pelkey (a fellow Fleet Feet employee).  Though perhaps not the most impressive runner among the Fleet Feet Gaithersburg staff, she does have a handful of half marathons under her belt.  She graduated Indiana Univerity in 2010 with a B.A. in Literature and hopes to pursue an M.F.A. in fiction writing.  She loves trail running, Liverpool FC and the occasional trashy vampire paperback.

Shannon Dolan

Shannon is a graduate from the University of Delaware class of 2012. Originally starting her college education as a Visual Communications major, she realized her love and passion for health and fitness after her sophomore year Nutrition 101 course. While switching majors from Visual Communications to Applied Nutrition, she also picked up a minor in Strength and Conditioning to get a complete education in all Health Sciences. Shannon is an American College of Sports Medicine Certified Personal Trainer and has started training within the area.

Although the gym is Shannon’s second home, she enjoys any activities involving the outdoors, from trail runs and hiking, to kayaking and horseback riding. She is always up for new activities to push herself further and will be glad to help customers find their strength to excel in any physical activity they choose. 

Regina Robinson

A graduate of North West High School, Regina went on to study at Atlantic Culinary Academy and worked in the hotel industry before pursuing her passion in Nutrition/Dietetics.  She is currently attending the Univeristy of the Distric of Columbia and is working toward becoming a registered dietician.  Regina is passionate about helping others to reach their health and fitness goals.  Since joining our team, she's also a pace coach for our Fall 10K 2012 Training Program. 

 Brittany Jackett

Brittany is a Cleveland, Ohio native (GO BROWNS!) and our new Marketing Director. She attended Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania where she played soccer and was the sports editor for the school's newspaper. She graduated in 2008 with degrees in both marketing and advertising, and a minor in graphic design.
Since a very young age, Brittany has had a strong passion for health and fitness. In 2011 she received her International Sports Science Association certification for personal training. She loves running, CrossFit and playing soccer and volleyball with friends and family.
She's new to the area and would love to learn about the great places nearby for trail running!

Andy Vu

Andy is currently attending Montgomery College and studying to pursue a career in electrical engineering. He started running during his junior year of high school - competing on his high school's track and cross country team. He also played lacrosse, volleyball and wrestled! When Andy isn't studying or working at Fleet Feet he enjoys working on and talking cars; he likes to modify them for optimum horsepower!
This summer Andy is training for a Tough Mudder.

Carlos Acosta

Carlos joins the Fleet Feet team all the way from Paramount, California. He was attending Cerritos College in Norwalk pursuing a degree in pathology and forensic science when he moved to the area. He will be starting at Montgomery College soon to continue towards his degree.
He started running cross country in his junior year of high school in Paramount and played soccer in various outdoor leagues. Currently, he enjoys cycling, rock climbing and football, and he is a huge fan of the adrenaline-pumping sport of paintball. Carlos enjoys working with fellow sports enthusiast and working with the community. When he is not out running or playing sports, he spends a lot of time sketching, drawing, painting and any type of art he can get his hands on, to make a grand masterpiece out of a blank canvas. 

Christine Kincanna

Christine was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. She moved to Maryland in 1997 with her best friend who she met at a Neil Young video shoot! She has had a passion for cycling and running since her childhood, and she has worked in the cycling industry for the last two years. Christine joined Fleet Feet for the opportunity to work with people who have the same passion for running and to help people achieve their fitness goals.