Fiona Oakes is renowned as a British endurance runner and vegan athlete. She is the fastest woman in the world to run a marathon on all seven continents and the North pole. She has competed in over 100 marathons and set five marathon courses records around the globe, including the Antarctic Ice Marathon.
Fiona has been vegan since the age of six. She participates in endurance sports to demonstrate that her diet is not prohibitive to performance and to raise awareness of her Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary, which she founded in 1996. At her sanctuary, she cares night and day for 500 rescued animals to which she has devoted her life.
Fiona is also the subject of Running for Good a documentary film by Keegan Kuhn centred around her run in the 2017 Marathon des Sables, and she’s written a book by the same name.
However, when Fiona was a child, things looked very different. She had many, many, many health issues and underwent numerous surgeries. At one point, she thought she would not be able to walk. We discuss her incredible story and how she finds a way through, despite the odds.
She has some really important things to say about ‘modern veganism’ and was a sage reminder of the fact that, like all things, a choice to do better for others is often very simple. It’s only that, as humans, we make it complicated.
Thank you to Fiona for sharing her incredible life story with us all this week. I hope you will enjoy hearing from her as much as I did.
Luxury is going to a tap and turn it on and having a glass of water. Luxury is being able to walk.
Fiona Oakes
Points of discussion:
(00:00) Introduction
(02:44) Fiona reflects on though childhood
(05:13) What changed to get you running?
(06:45) The genesis of Fiona’s veganism
(14:10) Moments of change during the North Pole marathon
(18:33) What have you learned about yourself(20:47) What has changed in veganism from when you started promoting it?
(24:55) What does luxury mean to you?
(25:44) What does the change mean to you?
(27:43) What have you learned working with the animals all these years?
(31:03) Fiona’s advice to a person that feels a bit stuck
(33:18) Key takeaways by Dee
*** If you have a question or feedback on the series send me a message on Instagram (@deedoubleespresso) or email me at doublespressowithdee@gmail.com I would love to hear from you!