Last year I had the opportunity to interview Keegan Kuhn who was one of the Executive Producers behind “Running for Good,” a documentary which follows ultra-runner Fiona Oakes’ remarkable personal story.
For those who haven’t seen the film (and why not!?), Fiona is a British marathon runner who holds four world records for marathon running and is the fastest woman to run a marathon on all 7 continents, despite having no kneecap in her right knee since the age of 14. And all this while running Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary in England with her husband.
I was honoured to have the opportunity to interview Fiona recently to hear a bit more about her personal journey, what it’s like to run an animal sanctuary, and what’s next for her.
What has your vegan journey been like?
I went vegan when I was six years old and truthfully, I had never even heard of the word vegan, I just understood the principle behind it. So mine was a completely self-inspired reaction to animal exploitation in any form of ‘industry’ whether it be for food, clothing, vivisection or sport. It was the obvious thing to me as a child to simply avoid being part of, or party to, something I found incomprehensible. This was back in the early 1970s when the word ‘vegetarian’ was not a familiar one and ‘vegan’ was practically unheard of. It has always been easy for me to be vegan but not easy for those around me to understand why and what it entails. I have always been lucky to have the support of my mother, but I know the rest of the family were less understanding, as were many health professionals. It’s reassuring to see how people’s views have changed over the years, as knowledge of veganism has grown.
Tell us a bit about your animal sanctuary – how did you come about starting it, why was it important to you and how has it grown over the years?
I started Tower Hill Stables Animals Sanctuary almost 25 years ago. I had always ‘rescued’ animals where I could but never had the facilities to do it on a large scale. The smaller animals were kept at my small terraced property but I could only feasibly have cats, dogs and smaller animals such as chinchillas, rabbits, hamsters and birds. The horses I had were kept at a local farm as I had no acreage of my own – that was always a dream I never thought would, or could become a reality. I was working long hours in London to pay for all the animals and cycling the 30 miles each way to work so that I could check and feed them on the way there and save money on travel for their keep.
I always called in on them on the way home from work but one day, I remember calling my beloved equine friends over and one, Oscar, a broken down racehorse I had been rehabilitating for a couple of years, didn’t come galloping over with the others. I immediately knew something must be wrong and went to find him. Sadly, when I did I found him impaled on a fence post as I later found out he had taken fright when the owner of the farm had given his permission for people to go into the field and shoot rabbits.
I was horrified, and Oscar was at the vet for 13 weeks. In that time my family and I decided it was no longer acceptable to entrust our precious family of equines to those who had such a cavalier and irresponsible attitude to their well-being. It was a massive ask to purchase somewhere with some land for them to reside but eventually we managed it and I received the keys to the Sanctuary two days before Oscar was given the ‘all clear’ to come home.
So Tower Hill Stables was actually purchased in order to give safety to the animals I had already rescued and it just grew into a sanctuary for others from thereon in. Over the years it has expanded rapidly and enormously as the requests to help more animals have flooded in. It now encompasses six sites and almost 100 acres and is home to many animals including horses, cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, donkeys, dogs, cats, turkeys, geese, ducks, chickens, swans and just about any other animals I feel I am in a position to help. It makes for some very hard work and I have to get up at 3.30 a.m. to get through it all, but it is worth it. During every moment I spend caring for the animals and their needs, I know they are safe from the horrors of the many industries which cruelly exploit them.
What does a normal day look like for you?
With over 500 residents there isn’t really such as thing as a ‘normal’ day as anything can happen at any time and you always have to be ready to expect the unexpected. The basic routine is to get up very early and start by checking the animals for problems incurred overnight, feeding, mucking out, administering of medications and making sure the fencing and housing is all in good order.
Extra work then follows such as dealing with the huge deliveries of feed and bedding required, visits from the vet – either scheduled or emergency – routine fortnightly farrier visits, and then factoring in all the paperwork involved in making sure each of the sites has everything it should for smooth running. Then there are emails and other social media queries to deal with as people always want to know what is happening at the sanctuary and sharing information online is a key and important fundraising portal.
Making time for my running can be a problem sometimes so I just have to grab the opportunity and go for it when one arises. I never really know when this is going to be during the day, and if the animals need me it might even have to take place during the night but I can usually find time to squeeze it in.
What has surprised you most about running a sanctuary?
Despite how horribly and cruelly an animal has been treated in its previous situation it is humbling how trusting and forgiving they are of humans. I do my very best to create an atmosphere of security and safety at the sanctuary and feel that the animals transmit this to each other. I can provide the physical things like food, water, housing and routine but ultimately I believe the best way to gain the trust of an individual is by the culture generated by those already residing here. Mine are an extremely relaxed bunch who accept pretty much whatever is happening around them because they know it will not involve any harm to them.
What was your motivation behind taking up running?
I had been vegan almost all my life, and I started an animal sanctuary to rescue those I loved from the horrors of industries I abhorred but it simply didn’t seem enough. The next obvious progression was to attract more people to a vegan lifestyle. Prior to social media, if you wanted to get a message out there you had to garner the interest of mainstream media and press. Not an easy thing to do so I sat down and thought about it and the only thing which kept coming to mind was marathon running, purely because of the success the British runner, Paula Radcliffe, was enjoying at that time. The interest was already there with marathons being billed as the toughest, most gruelling and extreme event on the athletics calendar. So if I could compete in, and hopefully complete, a marathon it had to prove that a long term vegan diet is not prohibitive to anything, even something as physically demanding as running 26.2 miles.
From there my ambitions grew beyond marathon running to becoming an elite runner which would facilitate access to the start lines of the world’s most high profile races. This is when and why I co-founded Vegan Runners, now one of the biggest running clubs in the UK, so that I could proudly exhibit the word ‘VEGAN’ across my chest for all to see as a free and positive advert for veganism. It’s driven me to pretty extreme challenges and achievements and I have a marathon personal best of 2hrs 38 minutes, many marathon wins and course records, including at the North Pole, Antarctica and pretty much everywhere in between. I have completed the ‘toughest footrace on the planet’ – Marathon des Sables three times, won multi-stage self-sufficiency races and just qualified to run for England in the 10km and half marathon so I am still proving that vegan is best almost two decades on from taking up the sport – despite being told I would never walk properly – let alone run – after surgeries in my teenage years.
Can you tell us more about Vegan Runners and why did you found it?
Vegan Runners is the running club I co-founded in 2004. To run in many of the larger Marathons you have to be in a UK Athletics Affiliated Club. Before we started Vegan Runners I was running for the Vegetarian and Cycling Athletic Club (VCAC) because it was the only one which represented the reason I was out there running at all. Then, when I began to win races and gain elite entries to events, myself and another member of VCAC decided it was time to start a dedicated vegan running club in an attempt to familiarise onlookers, other competitors and hopefully the media with the word ‘vegan’. It really has worked incredibly well and from humble beginnings Vegan Runners has grown pretty much the way the sanctuary has. From being practically the only member of the club we now have many thousands of members and pretty much every race you go to there will be another member!
In your film “Running for Good” you talk about how the animals are what kept you going during your run in the Sahara – can you tell us more about that?
I think running is particularly important to me because I am free to do it and those I am fighting to help are not free to feel the wind on their face, the sun on their back and the snow beneath their feet. When I am suffering in a race I always hold onto that thought. It may be hard for me at that moment in time but the suffering can end at any time, for the animals it can’t. If by me being out there, running well, showing that anything and everything can be achieved without the need to harm others, then my job is done. That is why I run and I think this reason gives me the ability to dig that bit deeper, and the desire to work and train that bit harder. I simply don’t want a medal, trophy or quicker time in exchange for putting myself through all the effort it takes, but I am willing to do it for others, to stop their suffering.
What’s next for you?
My main goal in life is to keep the sanctuary running smoothly, rescuing animals, securing its future and promoting the vegan message whenever and wherever I can, whether it be by public speaking, or giving interviews. With regard to my running, for me it’s my England representation in March in the half marathon, then on to Marathon des Sables again and straight after that another England vest in the 10km. It’s a hectic schedule and I feel blessed to be able to keep doing what I do and never take for granted how lucky I am to have the health, fitness and mental and physical strength to be able to keep up such a heavy workload 365 days a year.
How can people get involved with the sanctuary?
There are many ways to get involved with the sanctuary. You can become a regular supporter or fundraiser, volunteer on-site, or help online with all the administration and promotion of the work we do. We don’t have an advertising budget at all and we have always put all our own funds into our running costs. Raising enough funds to keep going is a constant struggle. Any ideas are always welcome so best way is to drop us a line and see what suits you best and feels most comfortable for you to help. Anything and everything is always so very much appreciated and 100% of donations go directly to the animals.
You can purchase the 220 Tower Hill Stables calendar here, as well as finding out more information about donating to the sanctuary or offering your services.
And finally – favourite vegan food?
Even though people often think otherwise with my very hectic lifestyle, I am not a ‘foodie’ type person. I always consider myself extremely fortunate to live in a country where lack of food is not an issue, so beyond this I have pretty basic tastes. A big treat for me though is Mejdool dates, marzipan, salted cashew nuts and lychees. I don’t know whether these count as specifically vegan foods but, if not, my mum makes some pretty wicked winter spicy soups. There’s no particular recipe, she just throws in what she has available and, after 47 years of cooking for a vegan daughter, she has pretty much nailed the skill!
I hope you have feel as inspired from the interview with Fiona as I am!
Please consider donating to Fiona’s sanctuary via the Tower Hill website. You can also:
Like Tower Hill on Facebook
Like Fiona Oakes on Facebook
Follow Tower Hill on Instagram
Follow Fiona Oakes on Twitter
Follow Tower Hill on Twitter