Choosing what sports bra to wear on marathon day is a big decision. But for Louise Butcher, 49, choosing not to wear a top proved more significant.
Butcher received a breast cancer diagnosis after discovering a lump in her breast in the Spring of 2023. Despite receiving radiotherapy treatment and a mastectomy, the runner finished the 2022 virtual London Marathon, completing the race in 5:04:33.
Last Sunday, Butcher once again joined 4,000 virtual participants. This time, she nixed the shirt and covered all 26.2 miles with her mastectomy scars proudly showing across her chest. She crossed the finish line in 4:46:45.
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“I did feel out of my comfort zone when I did it,” said Butcher. “When you say you’re going to do something and then do it, it’s different.” She added that she did worry about the added stigma of running topless as a woman (even without breasts), but she decided to go for her goal anyway. “People were looking and then looking again like they couldn’t believe what they were seeing. It was getting the attention it needed,” she said.
Butcher began her race on a quiet, rainy trail, but her chosen course eventually led her onto the streets of Devon, where she lives. Crowds of people gathered to cheer her on. “There were double takes, shock and people saying ‘wow’ and clapping. As I got closer to Braunton, there was more support and people clapping, it started to feel real.”
Butcher completed her race to the applause of people of all ages. Now, she’s aiming to run the race in London next year. “It was just brilliant, everything I wanted it to be. I’ve entered the ballot for next year with my friend, and hopefully we will get in. I so want to do London. From what I’ve heard, it’s unbelievable.”
Butcher’s 26.2-mile race took place in England, but her journey represents the bravery of breast cancer survivors around the world. An estimated 2.3 million people were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020 alone. And in the U.K., 14,850 of the 55,000 diagnosed with breast cancer undergo a mastectomy each year. “I know mastectomies aren’t taboo, but they’re not on show,” Butcher told Devon Live. “If people can just see it in real life, that makes it less scary. If I’d have seen it, the fear wouldn’t have been there as much.”
Contributing Writer
Kells McPhillips is a health and wellness journalist living in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Runner’s World, The New York Times, Well+Good, Fortune, Shape, and others.
