As a child in Chardon, Ohio, Butcher realized she was fast at a young age. In ninth grade, she learned about track and field as a sport that was only available to men—and as a sophomore, she sought to change that, asking the school's track coach to start a girls' team. When he refused, her mother contacted Stella Walsh, the 1932 Olympic champion in the 100 meters and then-coach of the Polish Falcons, a boys and girls track club in Cleveland, Ohio. A couple of days each week, Butcher's mother would make the 30-mile drive from Chardon, so her daughter could train with the team. Butcher would go on to win three national titles in her signature event, the 880 yards, as well as continuing to advocate for more opportunities for girls and women in distance running. She also pursued passions off the track, including a solo 2,500-mile motorcycle trip through New England and Canada; writing poetry and prose, as well as teaching English; and riding and training horses, which she continues to do to this day.

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