I've never felt more beautiful running the London Marathon topless
Watch: Breast cancer survivor says topless running makes her feel empowered
A breast cancer survivor, who had a double mastectomy, became the first woman to run the London Marathon topless and says she's "never felt more beautiful".
Louise Butcher, 51, from Braunton, Devon ran the 26.2-mile route in April last year, two years after undergoing a double mastectomy for lobular breast cancer.
The charity worker initially decided to run the route bare-chested in a bid to help show other women who have undergone mastectomies that scars are nothing to be ashamed of. “This year has been absolutely surreal," she says. "Running hasn’t just given me body positivity, it’s empowered me as a person. I did the virtual London Marathon in 2023, but I’ve never done it in London - it was exhilarating."
Though she says her time wasn't great and she struggled to finish due to sickness, Louise says she's never felt "more strong, empowered and beautiful" while completing the gruelling run.
Louise was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer in April 2022 after finding a lump when checking herself and receiving an ultrasound on her left breast. During her first single mastectomy in June 2022, her surgeon discovered a 5cm tumour close to her chest wall and she had her second single mastectomy, to remove her right breast tissue, in August 2022.
Despite feeling "pressure" to get reconstructive surgery, Louise opted not to go for it explaining that she wanted to fight against social norms, and feel comfortable in her own skin. “I didn’t feel the need to get reconstructive surgery,” she explains. "I accept the way I am - and it’s something I’ve learnt to control, despite what others think."
Having undergone five rounds of intensive radiotherapy, Louise ran her first, virtual London Marathon, on October 2nd, 2022, weeks after finishing treatment. The charity volunteer ran virtually again in the 2023 London Marathon and vowed to take part in-person the following year.
On April 21, 2024, Louise became the first woman to run the marathon topless while showing off her mastectomy scars. As well as wanting to raise awareness for lobular breast cancer, she says she also wanted to promote body positivity and self-acceptance.
“Lots of people knew me through TikTok, so I had a lot of people cheering me on,” Louise says of the race. "It would’ve been an amazing experience doing it anyway; if I was topless or not. But people saw me topless and they were crying, women were shouting my name - it was just unbelievable.
“Breast cancer surgeons were coming up to me and saying it was amazing," Louise continues. "It just felt like the right thing to do - to go topless at that time."
Louise managed to raise £3,500 for charity Breast Cancer Now, just by taking part in the Marathon and on November 3rd, she was also one of 250 women to take part in a topless swim, for the Royal Devon Hospitals Charity.
Now, she is in training for her running tour of the UK, covering cities like Bath, Cardiff, Exeter and Newcastle. The tour will also include this year's London Marathon, as well as the Great West and Great North runs.
Despite some negativity towards her decision to fundraise topless, Louise has no regrets. She runs around Braunton every day without a top on - and has no plans to stop anytime soon. "It may have opened up a can of worms, but I wanted that to happen," she explains. "I didn’t start [running topless] because I thought everyone was going to like it. I was doing it to ignite change; to get people to think about what they were saying to others about their appearances."
Louise says running topless has not only helped her recovery, but also boosted her body confidence. "I accept the way I am," she explains. "This is the best my body has ever been, ever. I’m the strongest I’ve ever been, and the most beautiful."
Later this year Louise plans to release a book Going Topless, which will document her topless marathons.
Read more about breast cancer:
What is secondary cancer? Linda Nolan dies aged 65 (Yahoo Life UK, 3-min read)
I saw breast cancer as a woman’s illness and was too embarrassed to tell people I had it (Yahoo Life UK, 6-min read)
‘The symptom that led to my breast cancer diagnosis’ (Yahoo Life UK, 5-min read)
