Upcoming Event: Women's XC/Track & Field at FSU XC Invite on September 26, 2025 at 8:20 a.m.
8:20 a.m.
Women's XC/Track & Field
at FSU XC Invite
Florida Atlantic University Athletics
Where Are They Now? – Friederike Feil
6/7/2020 6:00:00 PM | Women's XC/Track & Field
College students aren't exactly lauded for their diets. Friederike Feil, however, bucked the trend and resultingly became Florida Atlantic University's most decorated runner.
A Tuebingen, Germany native, Feil joined the Owls' track team in 2006. And it didn't take long for her to make an impact: Feil won her first collegiate race, the Nova Southeastern Invitational 5K.
"Of course, when you win your first race, that's really exciting," said Feil, who placed in the top-three five times as a freshman. "And as an athlete you want to have more of those feelings of accomplishing things, so I think it was a good start because it kept me very motivated."
Feil's good start at FAU evolved into an even better finish. She left the program in 2011 as its record holder in the 5K, 6K, 3000-meter run and 3000-meter steeplechase. Those records still stand nearly a decade later.
Though Feil credits her work ethic and FAU coach Alex Smolka's training, she says nutrition was also integral to her success. Feil's father, Wolfgang, is a renowned German nutritionist, and she applied his philosophies during her time as a student-athlete. Feil, who cycled between diets such as gluten-free and paleo, soon realized her performance elevated by doing so.
"I think it gave me a big advantage because athletic performance depends on your muscles, on how communication between your cells works," Feil said. "And that's influenced by nutrition, so I think that was a big advantage because others did not know as much as I knew."
In only five years at FAU, Feil earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees in exercise science and health promotion. She then went to Germany's University of Halle to earn her PhD. Feil's doctoral thesis covered a topic she knew better than most, one partially responsible for her shattering of FAU's records: nutrition.
While Feil honed her thesis, she continued her athletic career, but in a new sport. Feil began obstacle racing, and like track, it came naturally to her: From 2012 to 2013 she won five major races.
That wasn't the extent of Feil's success. After graduation, she established her own health-management company: Dr. Friederike Feil Akademie. Feil's company specializes in nutrition and wellness, offering everything from 12-week weight-loss programs to 17-day intestinal cleansings.
Feil says she was prepared to run a business because the planning and scheduling it required was similar to her responsibilities as an FAU student-athlete. And through Smolka's coaching, Feil knew how to build a team of motivated people around her.
"I think he was very good in putting us together and just becoming a team," said Feil, who oversees five employees, all women. "And as an athlete you watch this and think, 'OK, it's possible that you can bring people together with so different mindsets, and then they can work together.' And if you make it, they'll become a team. They can get really, really strong.
"Athletics just teaches you that if you work together, you're way stronger," added Feil, who is also a published author. "And so now, in my company, I really try [to ensure] the team grows together and works together, and so I think that's part of the success as well."
German companies are becoming more conscious of their employees' health, Feil says, so they invite her to speak about the values of wellness and nutrition.
But Feil's message isn't for the employees' benefit alone: She found German companies lose an average of 400 euros per sick day. And for the seemingly healthy employees, Feil says their productivity can rise with better wellness habits.
"You have to look after your bodies because you're going to be much better in concentrating on your things," Feil tells her clients. "You're not going to be tired in the evening and exhausted. And you'll have the possibility for way more creativity."
When COVID-19 began spreading through Germany, Feil's work became even more vital to her community. She released a gut-strengthening program in reaction to the virus, explaining 80 percent of the immune system is located there. Feil believes a strong gut can help fight off the virus.
After the pandemic passes, Feil hopes to expand her company across Germany and eventually overseas. "I'm still very ambitious," she prefaced.
Feil's ambition served her well on the track. And as she transitioned from racing in front of crowds to lecturing them, that ambition is now serving others.
"It's the same thing, except being at the race line, you're doing this for yourself," Feil said. "But being in front of the people and you know really, from your heart, you can support them and can improve their health, that's something really special. That's definitely something worth living for. And I know the more people in the room, they give me energy."
A Tuebingen, Germany native, Feil joined the Owls' track team in 2006. And it didn't take long for her to make an impact: Feil won her first collegiate race, the Nova Southeastern Invitational 5K.
"Of course, when you win your first race, that's really exciting," said Feil, who placed in the top-three five times as a freshman. "And as an athlete you want to have more of those feelings of accomplishing things, so I think it was a good start because it kept me very motivated."
Feil's good start at FAU evolved into an even better finish. She left the program in 2011 as its record holder in the 5K, 6K, 3000-meter run and 3000-meter steeplechase. Those records still stand nearly a decade later.
Though Feil credits her work ethic and FAU coach Alex Smolka's training, she says nutrition was also integral to her success. Feil's father, Wolfgang, is a renowned German nutritionist, and she applied his philosophies during her time as a student-athlete. Feil, who cycled between diets such as gluten-free and paleo, soon realized her performance elevated by doing so.
"I think it gave me a big advantage because athletic performance depends on your muscles, on how communication between your cells works," Feil said. "And that's influenced by nutrition, so I think that was a big advantage because others did not know as much as I knew."
In only five years at FAU, Feil earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees in exercise science and health promotion. She then went to Germany's University of Halle to earn her PhD. Feil's doctoral thesis covered a topic she knew better than most, one partially responsible for her shattering of FAU's records: nutrition.
While Feil honed her thesis, she continued her athletic career, but in a new sport. Feil began obstacle racing, and like track, it came naturally to her: From 2012 to 2013 she won five major races.
That wasn't the extent of Feil's success. After graduation, she established her own health-management company: Dr. Friederike Feil Akademie. Feil's company specializes in nutrition and wellness, offering everything from 12-week weight-loss programs to 17-day intestinal cleansings.
Feil says she was prepared to run a business because the planning and scheduling it required was similar to her responsibilities as an FAU student-athlete. And through Smolka's coaching, Feil knew how to build a team of motivated people around her.
"I think he was very good in putting us together and just becoming a team," said Feil, who oversees five employees, all women. "And as an athlete you watch this and think, 'OK, it's possible that you can bring people together with so different mindsets, and then they can work together.' And if you make it, they'll become a team. They can get really, really strong.
"Athletics just teaches you that if you work together, you're way stronger," added Feil, who is also a published author. "And so now, in my company, I really try [to ensure] the team grows together and works together, and so I think that's part of the success as well."
German companies are becoming more conscious of their employees' health, Feil says, so they invite her to speak about the values of wellness and nutrition.
But Feil's message isn't for the employees' benefit alone: She found German companies lose an average of 400 euros per sick day. And for the seemingly healthy employees, Feil says their productivity can rise with better wellness habits.
"You have to look after your bodies because you're going to be much better in concentrating on your things," Feil tells her clients. "You're not going to be tired in the evening and exhausted. And you'll have the possibility for way more creativity."
When COVID-19 began spreading through Germany, Feil's work became even more vital to her community. She released a gut-strengthening program in reaction to the virus, explaining 80 percent of the immune system is located there. Feil believes a strong gut can help fight off the virus.
After the pandemic passes, Feil hopes to expand her company across Germany and eventually overseas. "I'm still very ambitious," she prefaced.
Feil's ambition served her well on the track. And as she transitioned from racing in front of crowds to lecturing them, that ambition is now serving others.
"It's the same thing, except being at the race line, you're doing this for yourself," Feil said. "But being in front of the people and you know really, from your heart, you can support them and can improve their health, that's something really special. That's definitely something worth living for. And I know the more people in the room, they give me energy."
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