Meet Our Staff
Rod
Bien and Katie Bien, owners
Rod and Katie Bien moved to beautiful Bend in 1998 and still love everything it has to offer. Rod began running when he moved to Bend and never stopped! He has run over 40 ultra marathon races (races that range from 31 to 100 miles) and has won The Peterson Ridge Rumble 60K and The Mt. Hood 50 Mile Race. Rod and Katie also own Patagonia by Pandora’s Backpack in downtown Bend. Katie ran several marathons in the past but now runs casually and keeps herself busy with their three young children.
Click here to read an interview of Rod Bien by Scott Dunlap, a well-known trail running blogger.
Michelle White: Operations/Store Manager
Michelle moved to Bend from the Portland area in 2007. No stranger to athletics, Michelle was a former Division I soccer player and basketball player at Oregon State University. She now enjoys all the outdoor beauty of Central Oregon with her husband and two boys. As the founding member of Deschutes Multisport Club, Michelle's latest pursuits center on building her skills as a triathlete.
Heather Hynes: Store Manager
Heather began working at Fleet Feet Bend in July, 2010. Her favorite part about working at Fleet Feet is helping new runners and walkers find the right shoes and gear to keep going. As a fairly recent running fanatic, Heather remembers what it was like to just be starting out on the running scene. Heather's advice and understanding stems from recent first-hand experience, and her friendly attitude makes her a sure fit for the Fleet Feet family
Carolyn Courtwright: FIT Expert
Carolyn moved to Central Oregon from Boise, Idaho in the summer of 2008. Although she isn't a native Bendite, both of her parents grew up in Central Oregon and she feels like she has followed her roots home in moving here. While in Boise, Carolyn opened and later sold The Pulse Running and Fitness Shop. She is passionate about running and loves fitting happy customers in just the right shoes at Fleet Feet. Carolyn enjoys spending time with her husband, Tony, and their two kids, enjoying all the great outdoor activities the area has to offer. She especially likes running on the trails with her pup, Tivo. After running half-marathons and shorter distances, Carolyn and Tony recently completed their first full-marathon at the Newport Marathon on June 4th - go, Carolyn!
Colin Cass: FIT Expert
Colin has experience in distances from 5ks to marathons, and odds are pretty good that you have seen him more than once at the local events. Colin dove straight into running when he tried the reverse of building mileage and participated in the Portland Marathon in 2008 off a simple perscription of "the Butte a day ." With literally no marathon training Colin covered the 26.2 course and has been passionately running ever since. Colin has learned a lot about gear, nutrition and training since Portland and now enjoys personal training and coaching for the Fleet Feet Training Programs. Colin is the exclusive staff member to qualify for the Clydesdale race division and his favorite flavor of Gu is Vanilla Bean.
Chase Parnell: FIT Expert
Susanna Abrahamson: FIT Expert (in training)
Shannah Werner: Programs Director
Shannah is the Fleet Feet Bend Training Programs Coordinator and owner of Peak Training, her own personal training business operating out of WRP Training Studio on Columbia St. Shannah is super supportive, full of energy and offers good information on everything from preventing side-stitches, to how to work your heart-rate monitor to killer core work-outs. Shannah is always excited to help others accomplish their own, personal goals. Shannah loves the high desert, skiing on the snow and on the lake, running and spending time with her family. Shannah and her husband, Ted, have two kids, Haley and Teddy.