A WOMAN with only one kneecap smashed the women's record for the North Pole Marathon by 44 minutes.
Amateur athlete Fiona Oakes, 43, from Tillingham, battled through the bitter -28C temperatures and finished the race in four hours and 53 minutes despite it being described as the worst conditions in the marathon's eight-year history.
The North Pole Marathon is a 26-mile course where participants run in punishing conditions of snow and ice.
Fiona, who has no left kneecap after developing a cancerous growth at 14-years-old, battled through the constant pain to finish first.
"I know I have a gammy knee, but the truth is I'm tough," said Fiona. "I knew I was going to be knee deep but that was the last thing on my mind.
"There are no excuses on the starting line. You are the same as everyone and I am determined."
Fiona was only beaten by two male runners, and witnessed dozens of others pull out of the race after suffering hypothermia.
"I did the Marathon de Sables in the Sahara Desert last year, which is known as the hardest race in the world, and so I am always looking for tough challenges," said Fiona.
"To be honest I do these competitions mainly because I am a lifelong vegan, and honorary patron of the Vegan Society, and I am concerned about the impact on the environment.
"I wanted to promote veganism in a positive light, so that is what I do whilst raising funds for the 400 animals at my animal sanctuary, the Tower Hill Stables Animal Sanctuary in Asheldham.
"People think vegans are undernourished and that is not true."
Fiona has competed in 26 marathons and has gained top 20 places in two of the world's Major Marathon Series – Berlin and London – as well as the Great North Run where she was the first woman to complete the race from the masses in 2010.
The North Pole Marathon is the northernmost marathon on earth and Fiona admitted she knew it was going to be tough.
But she crossed the finish line with Percy the Bear, her cuddly toy mascot that she's had for 16 years on April 9.
Fiona said: "I knew it was going to be bad but just how bad I couldn't possibly have prepared for.
"I haven't got the longest legs in the world and kept falling as it was so deep, and when you put your foot on it you didn't know if it was frozen enough to take your weight.
"On one occasion I sank up to my groin, on another I fell on my hand and now have a suspected fractured thumb."
Fiona wrote to the event organiser, who let her compete in the £12,000 race for free whilst clothing company, UVU, provided all the special outfits costing thousands of pounds in order to complete the competition.
"You should have seen the look on the men's faces when they saw the score sheet, and I had beaten them," she said.
Fiona aims to be the first vegan to run a marathon on all seven continents plus the polar ice cap.
In November she will take on the Volcano Marathon in the Atacama Desert the week before tackling the Antarctic Marathon, all in aid of the same charities.
To sponsor Fiona in aid of the Vegan Society, go to www.justgiving.com/The-Vegan-Society.
