Women Who Run This Business
Social Running
Two women are breaking barriers for female runners and retailers in the social sphere. / By Camryn Claud, Upper Quadrant
I
n 1967 – a year ironically considered modern – the race manager of the Boston Marathon attacked Kathrine Switzer to take her out of the race because she was a woman. At the time, it was commonly thought that a woman running such a long distance risked her uterus falling out. Thankfully the race official failed and Switzer finished (with her uterus). With her triumph over this misogynistic ideal, she also started something massive and profound in our culture. Brave women like her, and men like the other runners who surrounded and protected her, helped start the modern era of female participation in sports, including Title IX and the opportunities it created for millions of young women during the past 50 years. Fast forward to present day and the story of running is largely a story of women in running. Women are a majority of run specialty customers, as well as race participants. And among the most fascinating subplots of the story is women connecting with one another in meaningful ways. Once limited to neighborhood-based groups, modern social media platforms have opened opportunities for women to connect globally, sharing stories, training tips, encouragement and inspiration at unlimited scale. Taking The Lead in Social Among those social media innovators are content creators Alysha Flynn (@WhatRunsYou) and Erin Azar (@Mrs. Space.Cadet). Each has a unique, personal journey to running. Azar started in the midst of life-changing events. “I started running two years ago after having my third baby,” Azar explains. “I filmed it because I thought I could look back on it and kind of motivate me to keep going.” 32
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Mrs. Space Cadet, aka Erin Azar, celebrates her successes – and failures – with her social followers.
When she posted that content to TikTok, it went viral. “I was posting about the relatability side of running in a candid and humorous way,” she adds. “Since then, it’s been impacting other people’s lives, which is another reason I keep going.” Meanwhile, Flynn started as a studentathlete and with the encouragement of an influential adult. “I started running back in third grade and ended up doing really well on a test in gym class,” she recalls. “When I finished the mile, my gym teacher walked over to me, and I will never forget – he’s a legend
in my life – he patted me on the back and said ‘kiddo, you have a place in the world, you’re going to be a runner.’ “To me, it was the first thing that made me feel like I had a place, that made me feel like I had a home that felt safe, even if other things weren’t quite in alignment in my life, [running] always made me feel safe.” For both Azar and Flynn, running has become a space where they can feel safe to share their thoughts and experiences with other women involved in the sport. “As things progressed, it really became
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