Beatie Deutsch’s Olympic dreams in limbo with Sabbath marathon in Tokyo
Israeli Olympic marathon hopeful Bracha “Beatie” Deutsch won’t be able to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Games after the women’s marathon in Japan was moved from Sunday to Saturday.
Deutsch, the Sabbath observant moth of five, had checked the Olympic calendar back in January to ensure that there would be no conflict with the Sabbath and saw that the marathon was slated for Sunday August 2, 2022. However, a late switch in the Olympic schedule will now prevent the “Marathon Mom” from competing
“I felt like I was punched in the stomach this morning,” wrote Deutsch on her Facebook Page. “But the truth is I’m more than OK. When they announced the World Championships would take place on Shabbos, I remember not even feeling disappointed because I knew I had the Olympics. There have been several other competitions that were on Shabbos, but it’s never even been a question for me.”
Deutsch had recently been asked if her observant lifestyle was compatible with being a runner, and she responded that “running is very compatible with my religious lifestyle. Until now. Suddenly, things got real very quickly. Because I’ve been pretty public about my Olympic dream... and I’ve invested a whole lot to get myself there... and what if, what if after all that I make it and I can’t even run?!”
However, Deutsch stated that she will still work on reaching her goal.
“I will continue to train and push myself to the best of my ability to try and qualify [for the Olympics]. Regardless of whether the race is switched or not, I’m not letting go yet. I am a fighter, I don’t give up easily and I will do whatever I can to get the Olympic marathon date changed. It’s hard to fully invest myself when I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to run, but life isn’t always about the results, sometimes the journey is even more important. And I’m here for the journey.”
The 4-foot-11 (1.5m) Deutsch ran her first marathon in 2016, the full 42.195 kilometers in Tel Aviv, and finished a surprising sixth place with a time of 3:27.26 hours. A year later she ran the Tel Aviv Marathon again, but this time she was seven months pregnant and finished in 4:08.
The first-placed Israeli woman at the 2018 Jerusalem Marathon (in 3:09.50, setting a course record for Israeli female runners), Deutsch followed with golds in Beit She’an (half-marathon in 1:19:53), Tiberias (full marathon in 2:42.18, the fifth best result of all time for female Israeli runners) and the 2019 half-marathon in Tel Aviv, where she was feted as a national hero and treated as a true blueand-white celebrity. In her first international test, Deutsch took first place with a 1:17.34 time in May’s half-marathon in Riga, Latvia, leaving her mark beyond the borders of Israel.
If Deutsch ultimately won’t be able to run in Tokyo, she will continue to take an upbeat approach.
“I may not make it the Olympics. I may not make the standard or I may not be able to run a race that is on Shabbat. But one thing I do know is that I will continue to proudly represent what it means to be an Orthodox Jewish women and professional runner for Israel.”