Sport

FIONA OAKES

Elena Orde interviews ultramarathon runner, four-times world record holder and founder of Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary Fiona Oakes about her motivations, lifestyle and the rise of plant-based diets in sport.

What do you think about more athletes adopting plant-based diets?

I think it’s excellent. Any move towards plant-based living has got to be better for the planet. It’s certainly going to be better for the animals.

People buying plant-based products in general is great, but I think they need to be clear that if you just buy processed products, it’s not necessarily going to be an awful lot healthier for you.

I want to encourage people to look more into the ethical side of it, not just the fact that an athlete is thriving on this diet. The ethics behind it are very important. And it’s very important that we don’t lose sight of that.

For me, it’s crucial that when I do anything, I know that nothing else has been compromised or suffered for me to do it. So that’s the strength veganism gives me. I don’t know about physical strength. All I can say is that I’ve been plantbased, vegan, for nearly five decades, and look at me, I’m still doing it!

What about food and nutrition?

Nutrition is not hard for me. It’s always been very basic: whole grains, seasonal food. I haven’t got a lot of money because I’ve got the animals to think of, and they come first. I don’t buy any of the processed products that are available today. I’ve never felt the need for them. You have mentioned that you get up very early. How much sleep do you get?

About five hours a night. I’m quite fortunate that I function on quite little sleep. I never rest in the day; I’m always doing something. I try to work my day out so that there will be something sedentary following something quite physical: at some point the computer needs looking at, or we have to unwrap the donation of food and produce that comes from the supermarket, which is quite a sedentary activity. I plan my day so as to alternate physical activities with sedentary ones. It’s very wide and wily the way I work my day out to be able to juggle everything I’ve got to do, but it seems to work!

What keeps you going through the hard times, both in life and sport?

I just remember the good I’m doing. I’m not doing it for myself; I’m doing it for others. I think sometimes it’s very much easier to do something when there is someone else’s welfare at stake rather than your own. It’s easy to put yourself last. At the end of the day, one person makes an effort and 500 animals at the sanctuary, or those who aren’t at the sanctuary, benefit. It’s a bit of a no-brainer for me; it’s obviously a win-win situation.

When times get tough in races, I always remember at any point I can put my hand up and say, “I’ve had enough. I want to go home.” But those that I’m hoping to give a voice to can’t. That’s honestly what keeps me going: they’re my focus.