Deutsch one stride closer to representing Israel at the Olympics

JORDAN MOSHE

With a time of 2:36:41 (a personal record), the former gymnast and a black belt in Taekwondo blazed across the finish line on Sunday.

It means that she has not only met her goal of achieving a world championship time of 2:37:00, but that she is a step closer to the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

She wrote of the race on social media, “In my final kilometre, I sprinted to the finish, breaking 2:37. Looking at the stats before the race, it [didn’t] make any sense for a runner like me with a time of 2:42 to come eighth when there were eight women with sub 2:29 marathons, and seven others who had run faster than me before.”

She wrote that she was determined to stay positive throughout her 42.2km, no matter what difficulties came up. “With every marathon, you are bound to face challenges, but it’s your perspective that can make all the difference. I made sure to smile at every person I passed. I ran with a huge grin plastered to my face, blew kisses to the kids, and pumped my fists at supporters. Because when you run with joy, your body responds in kind.”

Deutsch is a mother of five, and lives in Israel. Raised in an ultra-Orthodox community in New Jersey, she made aliyah in 2009, and is known for running in modest clothing including a skirt, shirt sleeves below her elbow, and a headscarf.

She won the 2018 Jerusalem Marathon and the Tiberias Marathon in January. She ran the Tel Aviv Marathon in 2017 while seven months pregnant, and this year, qualified for funding from Israel to be an Olympic candidate in 2020.

“My goal is to encourage other women to pursue distance running, and improve our field in Israel,” Deutsch told Canadian Running Magazine earlier this year. “I want to empower women. I didn’t even realise how much I needed this outlet as a mom.

“So many women have told me that I’ve inspired them to start running, and to take time for themselves. What’s the expression? You can’t pour from an empty cup.”