People love to test their bodies and push them to physical extremes, whether it be through extreme powerlifting, prolonged fasting or through extreme marathons.  Marathons have been around since they debuted in 1896 at the Olympic Games. The distance of 26.2 miles was finalized in 1921.  Now, ultramarathons have taken over, with races that are the typical point-to-point of up to 100 miles, races that consist of how much distance a runner can cover in a 24 hour period or even races that can take multiple days, where races can hit the 1,000 mile mark.
With the rise of different types of events, everyone is quick to turn to an edge to give them an advantage, whether it be a blended sports drink or a human growth hormone supplement. Could the next big thing be marijuana?
Marijuana has long been touted for its medicinal benefits and it has made its way into the sport of ultramarathon running.  The effects of the drug are ideal for eliminating any pre-race jitters, quelling the nausea and boredom that sets in during the race and for post-race recovery.
The most interesting aspect in some people’s minds, and also the most illegal one in the sport of running, is marijuana’s ability to block pain receptors.  Because of this, the World Anti-Doping Association has focused on the limit of THC in the body on race days to reflect usage prior to the race.  This would mean that if a user were to have smoked marijuana the day before the race, even habitually, it would not register.
This then brings in the debate of marijuana being truly a performance enhancing drug.  Avery Collins, a 22-year-old professional runner, said that he has never used the drug immediately before a race due to the ethical reasons of it giving him a distinct advantage over her competition.
Drug testing, however, is rare in the marathon scene as the costs to administer the test are usually too high for grassroots companies to afford.  Runners are usually quiet about their usage when it comes to personal questions, as are most users of the drug.  Online forums and blogs, however, are rife with information on what strains are the best to use and what quantities and apparatuses deliver the most efficient use of THC to help with running.
As the amount of states that legalize recreational marijuana and support medicinal marijuana rises, it will be interesting to watch how the drug will be viewed in the sporting world.
More than likely, it will come down to the individual organizations who choose how to govern and limit the use of the drug versus its perceived effects.