“Racing is my whole life, everything I love. My grandfather ran, my father too. I have it in my blood, in my veins. And the announcement of triple negative breast cancer, at the age of 24, changed nothing. On the contrary, it made me realize that it was what I needed to be well. Except for the periods when I was coming out of an operation, and when I had to take care of myself while it healed, I ran every day, at least for an hour. Of course, there were times that were more difficult than others, where I felt weak, mainly the first days of chemo. But I never experienced running as a burden.
“My sport helped me accept the removal of my breasts”
All day long, I was just waiting for that: to be outside, and to run on the road or in the park. If I was too weak, I walked. I spent a lot of time adapting my efforts. I remain convinced that my past as an athlete helped me recover more quickly after treatments. But also to accept the removal of my breasts, at only 24 years old. Thanks to running, I was used to wearing sports bras every day, I wasn’t super feminine. In my head, I was a sportswoman, an athlete, before being a woman. This new body did not weigh me down. Attempts at breast reconstruction didn’t really work: it hurt, I couldn’t sleep, the fake breasts weren’t natural. And today, at 32, without breasts, I feel more of a woman than I ever did.
TO READ : Caregiver by night, and athlete by day, Anaïs Quemener is, at 33, one of the best marathon runners in the world. Her journey as a champion, her cancer at the age of 24, the essential role of her father, she recounts it with the naturalness and indomitable energy that characterize her in All I Wanted Was to Run, published in 2024 (Flammarion, 20 euros).
Almost a year after the start of treatments, in 2016, I achieved my goal: to become French marathon champion. Starting and crossing the finish line were already victories for me. And then, I achieved this result, as if the illness had given me extra strength. The marathon is so much a part of me that I approached my treatment journey like a 42 km. When it was difficult, I said to myself: “ It’s normal, it’s kilometers 30, 32, 37, the finish line is approaching ».
“Without my father, I might not have made it”
Today, in remission, when I’m having a hard time, we have fun with my father, who is also my trainer. He tells me “you’ve been through much worse, you can’t really complain ” or ” it could be worse, you could get cancer » ! If I managed to overcome the illness and achieve my sporting dreams (double French marathon champion, she became French vice-champion in the 10,000m in May 2024, editor’s note), it is also thanks to my club, my crew. They always supported and encouraged me to continue going to training. Without them, without my father, I might not have made it. Finally, whether alone or accompanied, with my music in my ears or to the sound of my footsteps, the race brings together a bit of everything for me: moments with friends, times of introspection, phases of relaxation. I just can’t live without it! “.
