Do ultra-marathon runners really use marijuana?

Published by Wall Street Journal, The article is surprising, but reveals a practice that's more common than it seems. Some athletes specializing in long-distance races (from marathons to utra-trails) use marijuana to improve their results.

For Avery Collins, Marijuana, a 22-year-old professional ultra-marathoner, explains that «used in the right dose, it takes the stress out of the race». It's also a good post-race remedy. «When you run 17-20 hours straight and then stop, sometimes your legs and brain can't keep up. [Weed] is the only way to get to sleep. It also helps avoid the stomach upsets (nausea, stomach aches) associated with the intensity of this sport, where distances of up to 300 kilometers are involved. It's hard to imagine an ultra-marathoner with a spliff in his mouth at the starting line, but cannabis can be ingested, inhaled or applied in oil to aching limbs.

It would also appear that running has the same effects as cannabis.

Jenn Shelton is a veteran runner. According to her, an ultra-runner must master the triptych «forget the pain - don't throw up - stay calm». Weed helps to achieve each of these goals. She readily admits to having used cannabis, but only in training phases. The THC is in any case on the list of doping products and cannot normally be used in competition. Let's face it, tests are very rare in marathons and ultra-marathons, as they are very expensive. In fact, the relevant authorities have raised the legal THC level to detect only competition use. A good thing, given the various American states where medical or recreational use is authorized.

Jason Vaughn, «Ras» to his friends (because of his dreads), runs the blog http://www.ulltrapedestrian.com The athletes who use marijuana for racing are people who smoked it before taking up ultrafond. In any case, weed is just one method of blocking pain«. We suspect that it's being used more and more in American states where marijuana is legalized.