Her marathon: From the Beit Yaakov School to the Tokyo Olympics

She is an ultra-Orthodox who ran in a skirt and headgear, started running less than five years ago - and the highlight: she finished a 7th month marathon. "Instead of being preoccupied with endless thoughts of running, the husband and the children remind me what the main thing is." The ultra-Orthodox home runner Deutsch in a personal interview with Walla! Judaism

Number 1 (Photo: Marathon winner Facebook page Tiberias 2020)

Bethy Deutsch (Photo: Facebook page of Marathon winner Tiberias 2020, courtesy of the photographers)

My profile picture (greeting) Deutsch in Wattsap will never reveal who's behind it. Five blond children, relatively small, are scattered on a pile carpet and smile at the camera. The last thing you can think of is that the mothers of these lovers have been the champion of Israel running a marathon for two years in a row.

Bethy Deutsch caught the attention of Israeli public a few years ago for a number of reasons. Even if you for a moment leave the fact that she's an ultra-Orthodox running skirt and headgear, or the unimaginable figure she started running less than five years ago - when did you hear of someone completing a marathon when she was 7 months pregnant? She caught the attention of all of us again just over a week ago when she won for the second time in a row the Israel Championship for a marathon when she finished the Tiberias marathon with a staggering 2:32 hours. Last June, Deutsche is a member of Israel's Olympic team, but gave up her participation in the upcoming Tokyo Olympics to avoid blasphemy.

"Since joining the national team, running has become a hobby," she says in a personal interview to Walla! Judaism. "I worked throughout the years as a liaison in a Jewish education organization. After winning the title of Israeli champion, there was no way I could continue to work, both to train professionally and to function as a mother of five children. I chose to concentrate on family and running and it was really fun for me."

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"I already achieved my ultimate goal"

Ever imagined yourself as a professional athlete in the national team?

"Absolutely not. I immigrated to Israel in 2009 from the US. I grew up in an ultra-Orthodox family and studied as a child and a girl at Beit Yaakov, an ultra-Orthodox school for girls. I didn't dream of running, and I certainly didn't think of being a professional athlete. In all my years as a student and as a student, I have never been involved in athletics or sports. You could say I'm still brand new in the field. So new that my coach is constantly amazed by my lack of familiarity with basic terms. "

How do you combine such a demanding career to parent five young children?

"I think I'm not in any way different from any other mother who has work and children. If anything, I think compared to other mothers my hours are more flexible because in most cases it's me who decides when to go to training. I think the fact that I have kids actually helps me deal with the lawsuits Of the profession, I see quite a few athletes whose careers fill their entire world, creating a never-ending mess of numbers, results, and pressures. In my case, family and kids are a constant reminder that my ultimate goal is already accomplished and not at all related to the track. Busy with never-ending thoughts on running, the husband and the kids remind me what the heck is ".

Tokyo Olympics, 1964 (Photo: GettyImages)

Tokyo Olympics, 1964 (Photo: GettyImages)

Running is freedom, not a burden

Does the family responsibility allow you the concentration you need in racing?

"I don't even remember once standing on the start line worried about what's going on at home. I'm never worried because the family actually gives me a proper perspective on life. I really love running. It's a tool that gives you freedom, leverage you and your aspirations, but it's easy One of the promises I made to myself when I started running professionally was that I would never let my career take me away from the pleasure and joy. The family helps me with that. Staying only with the satisfaction and the positive things it gives. "

Is it possible to achieve results like yours with such a positive attitude?

"I suppose it's a fine balance. It's important for me to maintain the joy of running, but I also enjoy challenging myself again and again. Doing a little more. Seeing if I can go a little further. I've always been like that. That's exactly what happened in the first races I won. I didn't even know I wanted so fast, I ran to have fun and for the challenge. Somehow it always ended up winning. "

Representative athlete in skirt

Let's talk for a moment about your recent winning of the Tiberias Marathon. Didn't you mean to break Israel's record in a marathon?

My home smiles awkwardly. "This time it was a little different. I'm a representative athlete and I have to get a certain number of points in order to preserve my place in the team. Beforehand I set a result I was aiming for, I knew I had no choice but to try faster. In fact I did run a little faster and finished The marathon in thirty-two minutes and 25 seconds, I am still quite amazed that I have not achieved such a fast result so far in relatively shorter races, and my coach and the team that accompanied me have helped me a lot, especially in the last few miles I have felt. Tiring.

And a final question: Do you still get comments that you wanted a skirt?

"I think people have gotten used to it. Sometimes all kinds of jokes come up like maybe we will design a skirt that will be more aerodynamic to help with the resistance of the wind. On the bottom line, it doesn't really matter to anyone. : With headdress and skirt. "