It's an interesting read. I love that Jenn Shelton is sourced as saying "she made a decision to never compete with the drug for ethical reasons, expressly because she believes it enhances performance." That's awesome. That, and our primary representative here is a 22-year-old professional ultrarunner who smokes pot. If he lives in his parent's basement, I know a lot of those guys. ;-)
What do you guys think? Is cannabis use in ultras pervasive? Should it be banned? I'm a long-time fan of medical marijuana (see some early research here), as many of you know, and happy to write up a primer on how it has and hasn't helped the running over the years. Just let me know if that would be interesting to you.
Thx, SD
I don't think marijuana use is any more or less than it always was among people who love the outdoors. Some people just like it. I would be interested in hearing more about what you have learned. - Adam
ReplyDeleteCannabis is about as "performance enhancing" as protein bars and energy drinks.
ReplyDeleteCheating. Cannabis is a "drug." in my opinion, a huge part of ultra running is being able to overcome, work through, the obstacles by using your mind and spirit. :)
ReplyDelete-Patty
I doubt cannabis is used nearly as frequently as alcohol by ultra runners, But likely in the same way - recreationally and outside of runs or races. Other than the fact it's not allowed in competition and could get someone banned, I seriously doubt it would enhance performance (similar to racing while drunk).
ReplyDeleteAs someone who enters ultras for the fun, and who loves to smoke weed before, during and after, I would be sad to see a crackdown. My bias comes from having cannabis as a regular part of life anyway, so I tend not to see it as a big deal.
ReplyDeleteAs for performance-enhancing properties, interesting question. It's a naturally occurring substance, and the only way I can see it really providing an edge is for pain-management and morale-boosting.
By this logic, should they also ban certain herbal teas?
I think cannabis is once again the victim of stigmatization here.