Ultra Orthodox Jewish marathon runner, Beatie Deutsch, shatters stereotypes on the road to athletic stardom
In a world awash with fluttering social influencers and brand ambassadors, angling to capture our ever shrinking attention, you would think a self defined, “Ambassador of Hashem” would at least come with a beard, kippah and a flock. Well, you haven’t yet encountered American born Israeli, Beatie Deustch, who in just six years has gone from being an orthodox mum of five, running to get back into shape — to a professional, elite marathon athlete. Already the Israeli national champion in the marathon and half marathon, she is currently training to represent Israel at the World Athletics Championships in the US, in 2022, determined not to let her deep commitment to her faith get in the way of a place.
“My mission is not only to compete and win, but to use the gift that I have been given to shine godliness in the world, to show the link between faith and finding your talent and achieving your goals,” she says. And in terms of reaching them, Beatie’s achievements do seem somewhat from another realm. She only started running just six years ago. There were none of the usual stepping stones to this path: years of competition, coached training through adolescence and a record of College sports participation.
At the age of 26, she simply decided to run, and to motivate herself fully, she aimed for the Tel Aviv marathon. In 2018, she was the top woman in the Jerusalem marathon, then she won the marathon in Tiberias with a time of 2.42.18. More recently, she has scored half marathon victories in Latvia and Tel Aviv in 2019 and in Miami last year. Although she now has a professional support system, initially, instead of a coach, a nutritionist and freedom to train seven days a week, she used only faith. Even to the point that she sees reaching her athletic potential as a religious obligation. “At the end of the day, the PR, the likes on Instagram, the glory of winning is not going to go with me in the next world. What inspires me is not compromising on my values. Showing that you can combine a religious life and an elite sporting life and giving Jews pride worldwide… “
These aims are immediately apparent, just by her looks. While female marathon runners wear light clothing to maximise their time, Beatie dresses as modestly on the track as she does off of it, with a head covering, knee length skirt and long sleeved tops. You cannot help be moved by this willingness to break the mould, so it is unsurprising that earlier this year, Adidas also reached out to her to be a face of their “Impossible Is Nothing” campaign, alongside the likes South African rugby captain, Siya Kosi. The campaign aims to symbolise how sporting prowess and determination can help participants overcome obstacles and prejudice to achieve their goals. It is a role Beatie has fully embraced, as reaching out as a role model to other women, particularly orthodox women and mothers is also hugely important to her. The Instagram tag of “Marathon Mum” is something she proudly embodies.
“Adidas are very keen to encourage female sports participation generally, a message I am happy to promote. I realised, just after my first child, I would be a much better mum if I took care of myself physically. Then, mental strength and determination have grown alongside it.”
Not many busy mothers would necessarily see the arduous task of marathon training as the ideal “me time” but Beatie does sell it quite well.
While running she also takes the time to nurture her knowledge and skills in other arenas.
“I actually do a lot of Shirim — Torah study classes, when I am running on easy runs, I like to listen to parenting series and work my way through them. If I am doing a workout, I don’t listen to anything and I also love to run with nothing in my ears. I feel it is relaxing and a good time to be with myself.
Her favourite terrain is where she lives on the outskirts of Jerusalem. “I run on farmland, I run on trails, on some nice dirt roads. I also go to Jerusalem two days a week to train, I run at the track there and a small two km track near a reservoir, is where I do all my workouts. I love running on trails, but I do train on the track and roads mostly.”
Following her story, it’s frankly dazzling to see so many heartfelt ambitious strings attached to the bow of a running shoe. And the obstacles overcome to her athletic journey of, now seven marathons so far, are pretty unique. Beatie hit the headlines in 2020, not only for being a late starter in the sport and orthodox woman running in a headcovering, but because she made an appeal to the Olympic Committee, regarding the scheduling of races on Shabbat, which would have precluded her attendance. Despite some legal advice which framed her case in terms of rights to equal access, a positive response was not forthcoming and this is something Beatie has to bear in mind when choosing future competitions. “Between Shabbat observance and Covid 19, it has been a challenge to keep up a schedule but I now feel that I am ready to take on the next big race.”
Her laser focus on the track is just as fierce when talking about her personal causes and the importance of fundraising activities. Beit Daniella, in Tzur Hadassah, Israel day centre is her chosen charity.
It is named after the first cousin of her husband, Daniella Pardes, who was hospitalised for a year with anorexia. “When adolescents with mental health conditions are released from hospital care, it is difficult to make the transition directly to home. Beit Daniella is a rehab centre which supports this transition at a crucial stage in the patient’s recovery. They use different therapies to support the change, including animal therapy.’
It is a very personal campaign, as such a facility was not there for Daniella Parades herself and she took her own life shortly after coming out of hospital. Such a tragic personal story has certainly touched a nerve, and the campaign has managed to raise almost £25,000, from social media donations alone and Beatie plans to boost this considerably as her career progresses.
Her dedication and recent form is very promising but she acknowledges there is room for improvement and has set her sights on the BMW Berlin Marathon in May 2022. The qualifying time is 2.29.30 and at the moment Beatie’s timing is at 2.31.39. Very close. “It would be easy to say if only I could dress lighter and optimised for speed, such a time could be achieved. It may well be a factor, but I am determined to do this my way and on my path, without compromising.”
Recent victories in the shorter, 800m races, like the 85th Israel National Championships, June 2021, show she is well on the way. Beatie ran her own personal record of 2.10 in the 800 metres and won third place. “Compared to a marathon it was like a short stroll — so I am still trying to decide my favourite race.”
You feel that whatever format she finally settles on, it will be the winning one. Her Instagram is awash with personal mantras, but the essence of her determination and inspiration remains the same.
“The funny thing about running is that no matter how much you improve, there’s always this desire for more. Even when I run well, I still wish I could have gotten more from myself. With every race I know I want to see if I can get faster. I train to find my limits and work to constantly improve. But perhaps that’s the most powerful part of running… Its ability to push us to demand more from ourselves, to constantly seek growth and reach for the stars. And that spills over into my life. Running reminds me to keep striving for growth and to chase the best version of me, on a personal and spiritual level.”
This article was first published in JSports magazine July 2021. A publication highlighting the achievements of Jewish sportspeople around the world.
