STILL ON THE RUN
Two-time Olympian Kathy Butler's attempt to qualify for a third Games never materialized, but the Badgers legend — and mother — has no plans of slowing down any time soon
BY MIKE LUCAS • UWBADGERS.COM T
here's no telling what kind of tattoo might have appealed to 38-year- old Kathy Butler if she had been able to add another Olympic chap- ter to her illustrious running career. In 1996, Butler got the first ink on her ankle — a Maple Leaf and
the Olympic rings. That coincided with Butler competing for Cana- da and running the 5000 meters at the Summer Games in Atlanta. In 2004, Butler got another tat — the British Lion, the symbol of the British Olympic team. That coincided with Butler competing for Great Britain and run- ning the 10,000 at the Summer Games in Athens. Butler, one of the most accomplished runners in University of Wisconsin his- tory, was hoping to pull off the Olympic hat trick by qualifying in the marathon for the 2012 Summer Games in London. She was training with that objective — making her second appearance as a British Olympian and third overall — which would have made a good "home- coming'' story for the BBC, if not NBC. Butler was born in Edinburgh, Scotland — she lived a year on the Isle of Wight before moving to Canada — while her husband, Andrew, is from London. His parents live on the Olympic torch route. Butler has many friends on the Great Britain team. She also has a feel for
what the Olympics mean to the people of England and a frame of reference for most of the sports venues. But the last time she was in London was four years ago, and she wasn't able
to punch her ticket back for Friday night's opening ceremonies as a competitor in the marathon.
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