Orthodox Jewish runner finds strength in her faith while competing at an elite level

For Orthodox Jewish runner Biddy Deutsche of Israel, her faith practice is central to her life on and off the track. It's all a gift from God. And it's not about me. And that every race is an opportunity for me to just bring more godliness into the world. You know, as an athlete, you work really hard, so it's easy to kind of think, oh, I work so hard and that's why I achieve this. And for me, it's a constant opportunity to recognize, no, I am just able to use the gifts that God has given me. But she and others have faced tremendous hurdles while trying to maintain these religious practices and also compete at the elite sports level. In the beginning, it was really easy because I wasn't running competitively. I was just running as a mom who wanted to get back in shape. And I've always dressed modestly, so it came very naturally. And as I got more competitive and I was fighting for every second, I've had so many people tell me, oh, if you take off your skirt or if you wore less clothing, you'd run faster. But it goes back to that certain recognition that, like, this isn't about me. It's about using these gifts God has given me to bring more of his presence into the world. And my purpose in this world isn't simply to be a competitive runner, it's to be the best servant of God that I can be. In 2020, Deutsch qualified to represent Israel in the Tokyo Olympics, but she didn't compete because the woman's marathon was scheduled for a Saturday when she observes Shabbat. They said we can't do anything to accommodate religion and sport, and I felt that was a bit contradictory because in the 2012 Olympics, when they coincided with Ramadan, they specifically had a committee. To help Muslim athletes. So they were at certain points trying to accommodate religious athletes and I feel that more could be done. But for athletes of all faiths, pushing for visibility is also a way to be a role model. Not everyone in the ultra orthodox world understands what I'm doing and appreciates it. But the way change happens in our communities, it's a slow process of individuals showing up in the way that we want our community to become and when people see what's possible. You have more individuals showing up and doing the same, so I am a role model, I believe, for the change. I hope we can all, you know, create. Injuries kept her from qualifying for the Paris Games, but Deutsche has set her eyes on next year's world championship and the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.