Queen of the extreme is an animal lover at heart

Rosie Gilligan meets a remarkable Chesterfield athlete who is using her extreme sporting achievements to help her other passion in life – rescuing animals in need.

IT WILL COME as a surprise to many local people to learn that Fiona Oakes, one of the fastest marathon runners in the world, comes from Walton, Chesterfield. Her achievement is all the more remarkable because at 14 she had a fall from a horse, leading to three years of operations on her right knee, followed by long periods on crutches. “I was even told,” she says, “that I might never walk properly again.”…