Who is Fiona Oakes?

There will never be enough column inches to do real justice to the phenomenon that is Fiona Oakes — multiple world record holder; the first vegan woman to complete the gruelling Marathon de Sables; winner of the North Pole Marathon and recognised as the fastest woman to run a marathon on every continent. But at the heart of these outstanding accomplishments is a strong and refreshingly honest woman who embraces vulnerability in her unfaltering vision for veganism.

“I always say that becoming vegan at such a young age was not really a decision, it was more of a reaction against something which I couldn’t comprehend. I started to ask questions about where food came from. I wasn’t familiar with the word ‘vegan’; it was the principle of no harm and no evil. My mum’s music teacher from the 1950s was vegan and she articulated to my mum what I was thinking and feeling.”

There was no light bulb moment for Fiona,