I was first woman to run London Marathon topless now Im doing it again

The first woman to run the London Marathon topless is feeling “all fired up and excited” to run it again this weekend.Louise Butcher, 51, last ran ran the 26.2 mile route on April 21, 2024 — two years after undergoing a double mastectomy for lobular breast cancer.On Nov.3 last year, she was one of 250 women to take part in a topless swim, for the Royal Devon Hospitals Charity.Louise is currently undergoing a running tour of the UK, covering cities like Bath, Cardiff, Devon, London, and The Great North Run in Newcastle.She will now be embarking on the London Marathon this weekend, raising money for the Breast Cancer Now charity.Louise, a charity worker, from Braunton, Devon, said: “This will be my fifth marathon in total, and I’ve only been running marathons for two-and-a-half years now.“I’m proud of myself and proud of everyone else who has jumped on board to make topless running more normal and something that people can connect with.“I feel great and really strong at the moment.“I haven’t had any injuries, and I’ve been doing strength training for the last three months. “It is totally about looking after your body, making sure you’re not doing too much: it is not just about going running.“The power is in the healing.”In April 2022, Louise was diagnosed with lobular breast cancer, after receiving an ultrasound on her left breast.The tissue was thickened, and during her first single mastectomy in June 2022, her surgeon discovered a 5 centimeter tumor close to her chest wall.She had her second single mastectomy, to remover her right breast tissue, in August 2022.Despite feeling the “pressure” to get reconstructive surgery, Louise opted not to go for it — and says she wanted to fight against social norms, and feel comfortable in her own skin.She received five rounds of intensive radiotherapy — and ran her first, virtual London Marathon five after finishing treatment, on Oct.

2, 2022.“I didn’t feel the need to stick with socia...