Yesterday Fiona Oakes finished 1st lady and 4th overall at the Antarctic Ice Marathon setting a new course record of 4:20:02. This win completed Fiona’s challenge to be become the fastest female to run a marathon in each of the 7 continents and at the North Pole.

Each marathon on the way has been a triumph, and often a struggle, in it’s own right, all 5 city marathons were completed in under London Marathon championship qualifying times. Fiona placed first lady and set a new course record at both the Arctic and Antarctic Marathons. Despite stumbling and twisting her bad knee – she is missing a kneecap – Fiona finished 2nd in the hilly, high altitude, inaugural Volcano Marathon in Chile less than a week before her Antarctica victory.

All this since just April this year. Here are her times:

• North Pole Marathon – 4:53:10 – 1st lady, course record (Arctic – April 2013)
• Isle of Man Marathon – 3:12:05 – 1st lady (Europe – Aug 2013)
• Adelaide Marathon – 3:08:47 – 3rd lady (Australia, Aug 2013)
• Omsk Marathon (Siberia) – 3:11:37  (Asia, Sept 2013)
• Atlantic City Marathon – 3:10:56 – 1st lady (North America, Oct 2013)
• Casablanca Marathon – 3:13:41   (Africa, Oct 2013)
• Volcano Marathon (Chile) – 6:00:39 – 2nd lady (South America, Nov 2013)
• Antarctic Ice Marathon – 4:20:02 – 1st lady, course record (Antarctica, Nov 2013)

It seems likely that Fiona has broken at least 2 World Records with this feat. The current female record for overall time taken to complete marathons on 7 continents plus the North Pole is 324 days, Fiona did it in 225 days. The female record for aggregated running time for a marathon on each continent is 28:41 – Fiona’s total is just under 25:54 when her 2:48:08 time for the 2005 Amsterdam Marathon is included. It seems there is no aggregate female time record for 7 continents plus the North Pole (though it has been completed before by a select few) so this could be a 3rd record!

What a fantastic achievement from one of the running world’s great vegan ambassadors! All this traveling will not have been cheap – particularly as Fiona gives all her time to running the Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary – if you are able to contribute to costs an anonymous donor has offered to triple your money for via this link 🙂

Fiona Oakes runs the Atlantic City Marathon 2013