Marathoner Louise Butcher Sets Guinness Record for Running Topless Post Double Mastectomy

3 days ago

Louise Butcher, a 51-year-old marathoner from North Devon, England, holds the title of 'Fastest Marathon Runner with Double Mastectomy' in the Guinness Book of World Records.
Butcher runs marathons topless to normalize mastectomy without reconstruction, aiming to show the positive side of life after breast cancer surgery.
“What I wanted to do is to normalize mastectomy,” she told PEOPLE. “The records are there to be broken, so [Guinness] came up with the record that I would be the fastest woman with a double mastectomy.”
"That's what I wanted—that women might want to beat it,” she added. “It's just part of the normalizing of the mastectomy and not having breasts.”
She began running topless after noticing negativity around mastectomy flap closure surgery without reconstruction.
Butcher had an aggressive cancer that didn't show up on a routine mammogram, and she eventually underwent a double mastectomy after her diagnosis.
Despite challenges and a grieving process after the surgeries, running and fitness helped Butcher accept her body and move forward.
Running topless made Butcher appreciate the benefits and positive aspects, such as feeling free and living life to the fullest.
Now two years after her surgery, Butcher emphasizes the importance of body healing and self-awareness post-cancer.
Butcher's decision to run the London Marathon topless this April sparked positive reactions and conversations.