Jude Cohen used to suffer. Miles one through four? Torture. Her mind would rot while her legs plodded on. By mile seven, she was bargaining with herself.
Seven is long enough, right? Why suffer three more?
Then came spring 2025. She found Offfield. They sell “high-performance” gummies for athletes. CBD. THC. Caffeine. Cohen was already swapping wine for weed socially. She was training for the NYC Marathon in October. Why not combine pain and pleasure?
Her childhood in the ’90s warned that drugs led to ruin. She learned later that some chemicals are productive. These were.
Two chews. Three milligrams of THC. Taken thirty minutes before running, the hit was immediate. No waiting. The internal monologue changed. Instead of misery at mile seven, the voice said this is easy. I can sleep-walk this distance.
Did she run faster? Probably not. The 2025 NYC Marathon finished in 5 hours 17 minutes. It was her first. But she wanted to run. A runner who wants to run actually runs. More runs usually mean better shape. Though Cohen denies being a “runner.” Runners like the act. She likes being high.
The Stoned Athlete Trend
This isn’t new. Advocates have fought the lazy stoner stereotype for years. The 420 Games faded. Weed-friendly clubs rose. Runners High Chicago exists. Rage and Release does.
A 2022 survey showed 78% of exercisers using THC had been doing it for over three years. Yoga, elliptical, running. It helps focus. It enhances the mind-body link.
Angela Bryan, PhD, at CU Boulder, notes the stats are weird. Cannabis users often have lower BMIs. Less diabetes risk. Better insulin response. They meet exercise guidelines more than non-users.
“Does that mean we should recommend people exercise high?”
Bryan doubts the science supports a prescription. Runners under the influence feel better. The mood lift is real. But they are slower.
Tamanna Singh, MD, at Cleveland Clinic, draws a line in the sand. She thinks reliance on a high reveals a shaky relationship with movement. The growth comes from the struggle. The Oh my God how will I do three more miles? That’s where fortitude builds. Not in a euphoria cloud.
Pleasure Versus Pace
Science suggests some logic here. Running triggers endocannabinoids naturally. These chemicals handle pain and mood. They cause the “runner’s high.” THC adds external cannabinoids. More fuel. Same fire.
Bryan’s team asked 49 users about high runs. They reported more euphoria. More tranquility. Cohen agrees.
Six miles on gummies. Disco blasting. Sunset on the West Side Highway. She’s in a flow state. It’s just fun.
But there is a tax. Bryan’s study showed high runs averaged 31 seconds per mile slower than sober ones. THC raises heart rate. Exertion feels harder. So you slow down. You unconsciously adjust your pace to manage the increased cardiovascular load.
Offfield markets more than mood. Recovery. Inflammation. Digestion. Sleep.
Singh scoffs. You eat right. You sleep. You train. That fixes inflammation. Isolating one compound like THC is missing the point. The body handles repair. It doesn’t need a green supplement.
Plus, no one knows the right THC to CBD ratio. It’s too new.
Jeff Konin, PhD at FIU, points out the ethical wall. You can’t split a team into weed and placebo groups easily. Classification rules block proper clinical trials. Athletes are their own “N of 1.” Subjective wins only.
“They say there is a benefit, otherwise they wouldn’t use it. But the reason is entirely subjective.”
Glitching in the Matrix
Val ran the Philadelphia Marathon last fall. She felt great. She popped two Offfield gummies every hour. Three mg THC. Forty mg CBD. A calculated strategy.
Around mile eighteen, she stopped. Greeted her boyfriend. Her eyes were bloodshot.
Her motor skills glitched.
“I was in the Matrix.” Val felt high as a kite. Not just buzzed. Disoriented. She almost dropped out. Walking to the finish with her boyfriend’s help, seven hours had vanished.
“I’m surprised I didn’t end up in urgent care.”
Val’s story is a warning. Bodies react differently. A 2022 poll said one-quarter of active cannabis users had unwanted side effects while training. Racing hearts. Lightheadedness. Too stoned to function.
Even Cohen vomited on a run. Too much heat. Too much food. Too many variables.
Kelly Roberts, a Brooklyn running coach, sees plenty of clients run high. She supports it. But not her.
Roberts trips over her own feet sober. Running on edibles gives her anxiety.
There are risks. High doses cause heart arrhythmias. Anxiety. Smoking before a workout? Bad for lungs. Bad for experts. Dry mouth dehydrates you further during endurance work. Talk to a doctor about medication interactions. Val avoids Adderall on high-run days.
For others, the trade-off is worth it.
Anakaren Ramirez in Chicago saw the mental benefits outweigh the risks. She met Carlos Ramos at a turkey trot. He runs a cannabis brand. She runs one.
They started a run club.
Community and Contraband
Runners High Chicago meets Saturdays. 9 AM. Rotating spots. Everyone 21 and over.
They consume. Puffing. Gummies. Donated drinks. Then a 4.2-mile run. Once a month, they pick up trash.
It’s easygoing. An icebreaker. Ramirez says cannabis lowers guards. It builds a community.
But the legal side is murky.
The World Anti-Doping Agency bans cannabinoids. Cited for performance enhancement. Health risks. Spirit of sport violations. Even CBD-only products risk false positives. There are over 100 cannabinoids out there. Testing might flag contaminants.
Singh advises against it for serious competitors. It impedes progression.
And regulation is thin. Konin notes nearly half of cannabis products are mislabeled. Advertised THC often exceeds actual content. Unregulated vapes carry insecticides. Nicotine.
Brands might provide QR codes for certificates of analysis. They should. You check the code. You look at the ingredients.
Val kept running. She just adjusts now. The high is fun. The risk is real. You take what you want. You leave what you can’t afford.
Maybe.
