User:Fiona Oakes/Fiona Oakes

Fiona Oakes - Elite Vegan Marathon Runner and Animal Activist

Fiona Oakes is an Elite Vegan Marathon runner. Her best results include top 9th place in the Amsterdam Marathon in 2005, 21st London Marathon 2006, 5th Florence Marathon 2004, 10th Moscow Marathon 2003, 17th Berlin Marathon 2006, County Champion in Essex Marathon 2007 where she achieved the course record for the race and is the only female Marathon runner to run under 3 hours on the gruelling Essex course since the inception of the race 15 years ago. Fiona has over 10 sub 3 hour Marathons to her credit and a personal best in the event of 2hrs 48 minutes.

Fiona Oakes is also a highly revered and respected animal activist owning and running her own Animal Sanctuary, Towerhill Stables Animal Sanctuary, www.towerhillstables.com caring single-handedly for over 400 rescued animals. The Sanctuary and Fiona's athletic achievements have been featured in many publications including Prima and Lifescape magazines. Fiona Oakes was invited to become a Patron of the British based animal welfare Charity CAPS (Captive Animals' Protection Society) in 2008. She is also a Sports Ambassador for the large American animal welfare organisation In Defense of Animals. In 2001 Fiona also helped start the Russian animal welfare group VITA, which campaigns actively on all aspects of animal welfare in Russia. In 2004 the Vegan Society, in it's Diamond Jubilee year, awarded Fiona it's prestigious Outstanding Achievement Award for her efforts to promote a healthy vegan lifestyle through her work with animals, her Marathon running and her career as one of only a handful of retained female firefighters in the UK at the time. Fiona campaigns tirelessly for animal related issues and is a highly respected figure throughout the world for her dedication to raising awareness of issues of animal abuse and injustice throughout the world.