Meet Beatie Deutsch, the Ultra-Orthodox Runner Setting Some Serious Records

I never ran until three and a half years ago. I was always athletic and active growing up, but after I moved to Isreal from New Jersey, I got married and had four kids over the course of six years. Being a mom, on top of a full-time job as a communication officer, became my whole life. Exercise was the last thing on my mind.

That changed during my family vacation in the summer of 2015. As family tradition goes, we held an annual race on the beach with my five siblings. Until that year, I'd always come in first place. But this time, I came in dead last and realized that I was more out of shape than I thought. I remember in the middle of catching my breath, I turned to my husband and told him that I was going to run a marathon-and I haven't really looked back since.

My First Marathon

I started training for the Tel Aviv marathon in October of 2015. I gave myself four months to train for the big day. Building up my mileage took time, but I made it a habit to wake up at 5 AM each morning to run for an hour or so before my children woke up at 6:30. (

My husband believed I could finish my first marathon under four and a half hours-but I didn't believe it. I was new to this running thing and didn't really have that much confidence in myself. My goal was to just make it past the finish line. That's it.

But as I started logging more miles, having a finish time in mind became more enticing. I'm a very goal-oriented person, so having a specific objective is a major motivator for me. So, a couple of months into my training, I decided to run a half marathon distance on my own, clock my time, and predict what a reasonable goal for the marathon could be. To my surprise, I finished at 1:41, which was way faster than I'd imagined. (Here are 26 Mistakes Not to Make Before Running Your First Marathon)

Based on that, my husband reevaluated his goal for me and predicted I'd be able to finish my first marathon in 3:30. Again, I thought he was crazy, but I also felt motivated to push myself out of my comfort zone. I allowed myself to think: "Maybe I could." (See: The Importance of *Mentally* Training for a Marathon)

When I toed the line at the Tel Aviv marathon, my emotions were high. I started out slow but went progressively faster as each mile went by, making sure not to burn out too early. My kids and my whole family came and cheered me on from the 5-mile mark to the finish line, and I completed my first marathon in 3:27. Just four months before that, I'd never run longer than a couple of miles at a time.

It goes without saying that I was hooked.

Running While Pregnant

While nothing compares to crossing that finish line for the first time, running quickly became a way for me to take care of myself as a mom. It was my outlet and something I began to prioritize. So as soon I could, I signed up for the Tel Aviv marathon for the following year, with a goal of beating my previous time.

But just as I started training again, I learned that I was pregnant with my fifth child.

The thought of stopping my training didn't even occur to me. Running made me feel so good both physically and mentally, and being pregnant wasn't a reason to stop that. In fact, if anything, it was even more reason to make it a priority. (Plus my dad is an ob-gyn and assured me there was nothing wrong with keeping up with my training as long as I listened to my body.)

Still, I needed a goal. When you're pregnant, it's easy to get unmotivated and want to sit on the couch all day. So I promised myself to be consistent, running five to six days a week, health permitting.

In February 2017, I crossed the finish line of my second 26.2-miler in 4:08 at seven months pregnant. I was so glad I stuck to my goal and continued to run through my pregnancy. As luck would have it, it helped me have my easiest labor and delivery. (

The Race That Changed Everything

After having my fifth child, I took a short break and then set a goal to become the fastest Israeli woman to finish the Jerusalem marathon. I had looked at times for Israeli women from previous years and knew that I was in the range. But at this point, I had zero experience being a competitive runner, I didn't have a coach and just wasn't educated on the logistics of racing an event like this. My hopes weren't exactly high. (

Then, a month before the marathon, I learned that I had celiac disease and was very anemic. Still, I stayed optimistic. I cut out gluten, added a lot more iron into my diet, and continued my training. I got back on track much faster than imagined and ultimately did it I became the fastest Isreali woman to complete the Jerusalem marathon.

Setting that record was a game changer for me. There are only a handful of ultra-orthodox Jewish marathoners in the world, and no one had ever even heard of who I was before then. Following the race, I was approached by coaches and elite runners alike who convinced me to join a competitive running club to work on my speed, form, and overall technique. (

Together, in August of 2018, my group and I began training for the Tevarian marathon, which is Israel's championship marathon. Before, when training for marathons, I didn't really have a plan. I was just running as much as I could given how much time I had. But with the group, I worked my way up to running 62 miles a week, mixing in intervals, tempos, and long runs with my daily miles. I was more prepared than I'd ever been.

Winning the Tervarian Marathon

I felt the strongest I had before any race going into the Tevarian marathon in January of this year. I kept a steady pace with my running group and at the halfway mark, I thought I was in the lead and victory was in the bag. Then, all of a sudden I saw another woman far ahead of me.

It took me a bit, but I eventually recognized her as Israeli marathon record holder Elena Dolinin, a 2:35 marathoner who wasn't one to slow down. My coach had warned me against speeding up until the 18.5-mile mark, but a voice inside of me kept saying I had to catch up with her. I said to myself, "If God is with me every step of the way, then anything is possible."

With the intention to not burn out, I started to peel away from my group and made the race my own. I picked up my pace and started picking off men ahead of me. A few miles later, I still felt like I had more to give so I chipped off a couple more seconds from my mile splits. Finally, I caught up with Dolinin, passed her, and held the lead all the way to finish line, crossing at 2:42.

Not only did I win the race, but I PR'd by 27 minutes, which if you're familiar with long distance running, is pretty unheard of.

Before I even had the chance to think about my next goal, Isreal ambassadors reached out to me and said that my time qualified me to train for the Olympics. And that's what I have my eyes set on next.

Looking Ahead

Representing Israel in the 2020 Olympics would be a dream come true. But while my time at the Tevarian Marathon beat the 2016 Olympic criteria of 2:45, the guidelines have since changed. Now, qualifying times are 2:29, so who knows whether or not I'll make it, but to me, that's not what my journey with running is about.

Over the past three and a half years, my running accomplishments have helped work toward breaking down barriers between Israel's religious communities to show that we're all the same and can do anything we put our minds to. When people see me in my running attire-a long-sleeved top, headscarf, and skirt that hits below the knee-and watch me cross finish lines and set records, it creates unity. To me, that's what's most important. Making it to the Olympics would be an added bonus. (

For those reading my story and following my journey, I hope to prove that at the end of the day, we have no idea how capable we are or what we have to give until we step out of our comfort zone. So many of us can go our whole lives without experiencing our full potential because we are too scared to push ourselves. So take risks, step outside of the box and fight for your dreams.

You only get one life to do it.