Oregon Runner preaches the benefits of pot and power

A runner in Oregon talks about how cannabis is helping improve his running routine. Long-distance and cross-country runners often say that cannabis can put them in a meditative state, allowing them to get through a grueling course and focus on the run.

Central Oregon Daily News highlighted Stephen Snazuk, a runner in the High Desert region of Deschutes County, Oregon, on the benefits of running with cannabis.

“Cannabis for me gives me a lot of mental focus,” Snazuk told the Central Oregon Daily News. “Long ultra runs [require] a lot of mental focus. Maybe 10% stamina, 90% focus. Cannabis on the Trail allows me to step into that mindset.”

Snazuk hails from Prineville and his run times can be followed on Strava. Snazuk told the news outlet that he grows cannabis, so it was only a matter of time before he put two and two together.

“I think it helps my performance overall,” Snazuk said. Whether it is recreation; whether it is running; whether it gets a workout down; whether it consumes food on the trail – nutrition. I think it has to do with everything.”

When confronted with the potential impact on his lung capacity, the runner said the positive effects definitely outweigh the negative effects.

When the pandemic halted a planned community fun run in 2021, Snazuk used 220 handmade medals and transformed them into positive messages to spread positive sentiment in his Oregon community.

Snazuk also mentioned that cannabis is simply better than alcohol when it comes to athletics. Therefore, he says, a cannabis-themed race would make much more sense than alcohol-themed races, which are common.

“Bend is a mecca for drinking. They promote the Bend Beer Chase left and right. I’m not saying I don’t promote it. I do it every year and I love it. But it’s ironic that they’re promoting beer and drinking and running around town – basically a public intoxication. But there’s no runner’s high 5K or anything like that,” Snazuk said.

High Times surveyed several types of athletes who say cannabis improves their athletic performance, including runners. Most say cannabis allows them to be more active, unlike alcohol.

Stephen Snazuk / Courtesy of Strava

Cannabis versus runner’s high

Runner’s high is a phenomenon that was once attributed to endorphins, but now science points to an increase in endocannabinoids like anandamide.

High Times highlighted Josiah Hesse’s landmark book on cannabis and running, Runner’s High: How a Movement of Cannabis-Fueled Athletes Is Changing the Science of Sports.

Hesse explained how the runner’s high is linked to the high from cannabis. “The two are almost identical, neurologically speaking,” Hesse told the High Times. “What’s going on in the brain when we have the natural runner’s high, as mentioned, is an endogenous cannabinoid. Most researchers point to anandamide, which comes from the Sanskrit word for bliss.”

The body’s production of endogenous cannabinoids like anandamide reduces pain and increases enjoyment and appreciation of nature. We also get the same effects from phytocannabinoids in cannabis. As explained in Hesse’s book, neurologists have data to suggest that THC increases the production of anandamide, so it’s thought to get you runner’s high faster and more efficiently.

Ultramarathoner Avery Collins told The New York Times how cannabis improves his running routine and runner’s high. Collins is very active in the cannabis world, having in the past done deals with cannabis brands such as Incredibles, Mary’s Medicinals, Roll-uh-Bowl, The Farm Co., EvoLab, PurePower Botanicals and VaprWear.

Runners like Snazuk continue to spread the message that cannabis and running go together.