Part of TikTok’s compulsively watchable appeal is the FYP’s ability to show you new things that also feel like exactly what you were looking for, you just didn’t know it yet. Like when I stumbled on a viral video from a runner who had found the impossible: Running shorts that don’t ride up. When Erin Azar — also known as Mrs. Space Cadet, the “professional struggle runner” — appeared on my TikTok feed, I felt like the algo hit hard. As a person who is often unmotivated to finish any sort of creative or personal task, the literal push I was seeing from Azar and her runs really got me emotional and inspired (Azar is also hilarious, so there’s lots of giggling too). She also often reviews running gear, including the elusive shorts that won’t ride up.
Off-screen, Azar is a mom living in Pennsylvania, who started running as a way to stay active and improve her overall well-being. Her training sessions are everything you actually imagine runs to be: sweaty, unglamorous, gnarly, the whole ordeal. (But, not to worry, there are moments of pure joy peppered throughout her journey too.)
