Erin Azar, known as Mrs. Space Cadet on TikTok, began documenting her runs two years ago. She invited followers to join her, “a slightly overweight person who drinks too much beer,” as she trained for a marathon. But she didn’t anticipate that millions would respond.
“One of the first times I posted a run on TikTok it got over a million views, and I was like, ‘That’s weird,’” she said. “Everything I saw on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube were skinny runners with really cute outfits and really cute shoes, running seven- or eight-minute miles.”
That is not how Azar would describe herself. Instead, the 37-year-old mother of three has documented runs with her loyal “cheer squad” (three trees in a row), admitted when she had to pee mid-run, shared how much she struggles on what she calls the “barf hill” near her home and explained the awkwardness of passing walkers when their pace is close to her own.
“I felt like the really curated feeds were keeping people from feeling like they could run or try to run or work out in any way,” she said. “So that’s why I kept posting.”
On Sunday, Azar is sharing the progress of running the New York City Marathon — her first — with her 688,000 (and growing) followers on TikTok. She posted a video at Mile 5 of a bright morning and cheering onlookers. “We’re doing it!” she said.
In another post, while running on an incline, she sings, “hills don’t care about your feelings.”
But Azar has not only logged miles and followers, she has used her newfound attention to raise more than $73,000 to support the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.
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