Sports

Couch potatoes no more

Published

8 months ago

April 19, 2025

When Mark started jogging again at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, he could barely run a mile. Soon, he signed up for his first-ever marathon, but getting there required the patience to clock in hours upon hours of training. Music helped break up the monotony some, but what really made time fly by was a hit of his vape pen or, sometimes, a cannabis edible.

A year and a half later, Mark, a father of two in his early 40s, ran his first-ever marathon — consuming a couple of gummies along the way.

“That was the longest race I’d done since the 400-meter dash when I was 18 years old,” Mark, who is using his first name only for privacy reasons, told Salon in a phone interview. “I definitely could have run the marathon without the marijuana, but I don’t know how easily I could have completed the training without it.”

Many people associate cannabis with couch time and Netflix, but the “lazy stoner” stereotype has actually been debunked. In fact, runners and gymgoers are increasingly getting high before their workout to enhance the effects.

“Name an activity and someone’s getting high and doing it,” said Dr. Whitney Ogle, a physiotherapist at Cal Poly Humboldt University. “From archery to water skiing, someone’s getting high and doing that activity.”

Although studies show that cannabis use may reduce exercise performance, they also show that cannabis can help people enter the flow state and make exercise more fun, ultimately promoting physical activity. For Mark, it was a great way to avoid getting bored on long-distance runs.

“I just found it very enjoyable to zone out and have the right kind of music on and just sort of keep going,” Mark said.

Understanding the impact of cannabis on exercise is important for recreational athletes but also for professionals. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) prohibits the use of cannabinoids, saying they “pose a health risk to athletes” and “violate the spirit of sport.” However, many have argued that it’s time to remove cannabis from this ban because it is based on false assumptions about the effect of cannabis on exercise and disproportionately targets athletes of color — similar to the criminalization of cannabis overall.

In general, research shows that cannabis does not help performance. Yet other studies have shown that cannabis users engage in more exercise and have a lower body mass index than nonusers. Whether cannabis use is influencing these outcomes or people with these health metrics tend to use cannabis more for one reason or the other is unclear. But it does suggest that cannabis does seem to have some relationship to physical activity.

To look into this relationship, Dr. Angela Bryan, a psychology and neuroscience professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, conducted a study last year that compared various aspects of participants’ runs when they were sober and when they had used cannabis before. These runners had all previously exercised while on cannabis.

What she found was that runners ran the same distance about 31 seconds per mile slower when they used cannabis compared to when they didn’t. In a 2023 study also conducted by Bryan, runners reported feeling like they exerted more energy when they ran while under the influence compared to when they were sober. However, they also reported that they enjoyed the experience more.

In the former study, runners also reported less pain and that they experienced the “runner’s high” phenomenon — in which people enter a state of euphoria after performing demanding exercise — more easily when they used cannabis.

“I think that when you are under the influence, you feel like you want to dial down the intensity and that might be part of why you’re enjoying it more,” Bryan told Salon in a phone interview. “But if you try to go the same pace that you’re used to, it will probably feel like a higher intensity.”

The runner’s high — which can occur with any form of exercise — was originally thought to be caused by the release of feel-good hormones called endorphins after a high intensity workout. However, more recent research has shown that the phenomenon actually involves the same endocannabinoid system that is targeted with cannabis products like tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

This system works to maintain homeostasis by balancing the body’s temperature, pain and immune response. The body naturally produces endocannabinoids that bind to the cannabinoid receptors in the brain and other parts of the body. THC targets the same receptors but typically at a far higher dose than what is naturally produced, said Dr. Hilary Marusak, an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Wayne State University.

“When you get binding at that receptor, you get a lot of those euphoric properties,” Marusak told Salon in a phone interview. “It can also lower stress and anxiety.”

It’s unclear what part of exercise is activating the endocannabinoid system when a runner’s high happens. In small studies, endocannabinoid levels have been shown to be particularly elevated in hikers at higher altitudes and among choir singers, indicating that it could be caused by restricting the body’s oxygen to some degree, Marusak said.

“I think [it could be] this hypoxic state where you are taking in lower oxygen… or maybe doing some breathing that itself might actually modulate the endocannabinoid system,” Marusak said.

Because of the endocannabinoid system’s role in mood, researchers are looking into whether they can create drugs that target it to treat psychiatric illness. The runner’s high, which targets this system, tends to boost one’s mood and well-being naturally. Some have theorized that this may be an evolutionary trait built in to provide humans with a reward for being able to outrun predators and stay fit. Cannabis use might be piggybacking on that natural system to produce a similar effect.

Still, too much activation of the endocannabinoid system could lead to health problems as well. Some research suggests that people who chronically use THC have less active endocannabinoid systems, suggesting that overstimulation could reduce the body’s ability to naturally produce or bind endocannabinoids.

Scientists also once thought obesity was in part caused by excess cannabinoids and designed a drug called rimonabant to block this system. However, this also ran into problems, and rimonabant was ultimately withdrawn from the market because people taking it experienced depression and suicidal thoughts.

The endocannabinoid system was discovered in the 1980s, roughly a century after many other parts of the brain had been identified. As such, there is a lot left to be discovered about the role it plays in the body. That includes a lot of unknowns about how cannabinoids are influencing the body and exercise.

Cannabis can have a wide range of effects on individuals, and this is influenced by the setting in which it is taken and the balance of cannabinoids — like THC vs CBD — in it. In one 2022 survey of cannabis users Ogle conducted, about a quarter of people reported experiencing something undesirable while using cannabis to exercise. The most common outcome was that they got “too high to be effective at exercise.” Some also reported their heartracing and feeling lightheaded.

“While our participants felt they personally benefited from pairing cannabis and exercise, it may not be beneficial to all,” the study stated.

Still, many cannabis users are finding the benefits of using it for exercise outweigh any potential reductions in performance. Most people who use cannabis to exercise aren’t doing it for performance, anyways. In the 2022 survey, people reported hiking, doing yoga and aerobic exercises most commonly to help them focus and enjoy the experience.

Exercise in general has been shown to improve depression and reduce the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer. The important thing is that people exercise, so whatever gets them moving — be it a runner’s high, a cannabis high or something else specific to them — may be ultimately beneficial.

“If it’s something that can get more people to exercise and to enjoy it, then that’s definitely worth it,” Marusak said.

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Sports

Cosby Named CIAA Track Athlete of the Week

Published

11 minutes ago

December 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Olivia Cosby from the Winston-Salem State University women’s track and field team has been named the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Women’s Track Athlete of the Week for week one, the league announced Tuesday morning.

Cosby, a junior from Fortson, Georgia opened her season with an impressive performance at the Visit Winston Salem College Kickoff at JDL. Cosby placed third in the 400m seeded with a time of 56.83 and later anchored the 4x400m relay to a total time of 3:58.54, closing her leg with a strong 58.72 split. Her effort set an early tone for the Rams as they launched their indoor campaign.

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Southeastern’s McKelvey Earns AVCA All-Region Mention

Published

12 minutes ago

December 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

HAMMOND, La. – The Southeastern Louisiana University volleyball team was honored Tuesday, when junior Kyra McKelvey was named an All-Central Region Honorable Mention by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

The Navarre, Fla., native put together a career year in 2025, adding an All-Region mention to her Southland Conference Player of the Year award, along with SLC First Team honors. Tuesday marks McKelvey’s first time receiving an AVCA award. She is also the only current Lady Lion to have an AVCA accolade with Cicily Hidalgo earning an honorable mention from the association in 2024.

McKelvey helped the Lady Lions put together a 20-9 overall record with a 12-4 record in SLC play. She finished the season with the third-highest hitting percentage in the conference, reaching a .340 mark. The opposite hitter also ranked fourth in the league in kills per set, averaging 3.64 in the category for a total of 368 kills.

The junior posted double-digit kills in 22 of SLU’s 29 games during the 2025 season, tying a career-high of 21 kills in Southeastern’s match against Central Arkansas on Sept. 6.

DIGGIN’ IT CLUB / S CLUB
Fans interested in becoming active supporters of the Southeastern volleyball program are encouraged to join the Diggin’ It Club. Lion volleyball alums are encouraged to join the exclusive S Club, which is restricted to Southeastern athletic letter winners.

All membership fees and donations to both the Diggin’ It Club and S Club (volleyball) are available for the exclusive use of the Southeastern volleyball program. Membership information is available by contacting the Lion Athletics Association at laa@southeastern.edu or (985) 549-5091 or visiting www.LionUp.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA
For more information on Lady Lions Volleyball, follow @LionUpVB on X and Instagram or like /SLUathletics on Facebook.

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Williams Named NEC Co-Rookie of the Week

Published

26 minutes ago

December 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Men’s Track & Field | 12/9/2025 2:02:00 PM

Nehemyah Williams (Woodbridge, Va./Woodbridge) was named NEC Co-Rookie of the Week after a huge performance from the freshman. During the Bison Opener, Williams competed in the men’s triple jump and finished with a jump for 14.35m. With this, he took the third spot on the leader board and the first spot in the NEC for triple jump.

Williams, Clark Gulycz, and Olivia Renk all were named Prime Performers as well. Gulycz (Whitehall, Pa./Allentown Central Catholic) finished in fourth place during the opener in shot put. He was not far behind his personal record (17.16m) with a throw of 17.07m.

Renk (Bridgeville, Pa./South Fayette) rounded out the Red Flash in awards. The sophomore, finished in second place during the women’s 200-meter dash. She had a time of 25.46. Renk also competed in the 60-meter to take the fourth spot with a time of 7.72.

Saint Francis will continue its run on Friday as they compete in the Wagner College Seahawk Shootout.

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Myers Crowned AVCA Region Player of the Year

Published

28 minutes ago

December 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Senior Shaylee Myers became the first K-State player to be named AVCA Region Player of the Year, while senior Ava LeGrand joined Myers on the All-Central Region First Team, the organization announced Tuesday.

K-State was one of six Big 12 programs to land multiple players on the All-Region teams, as Myers and LeGrand each earned AVCA All-Region recognition for the first time in their careers. Myers was the only player from the conference to receive Player of the Year honors, while BYU’s Suli Davis collected West Region Freshman of the Year accolades.

Under third-year head coach Jason Mansfield, five players have combined for six All-Region honors. In total, K-State has now produced 43 All-Region selections in the program’s 52-year history.

A unanimous All-Big 12 First Team honoree, Myers capped a historic senior campaign with 498 kills (4.70 per set) and 547.0 points (5.16 per set), rewriting the K-State record book along the way.

Her 4.70 kills per set shattered the rally-scoring era single-season average, surpassing Liz Wegner-Busch’s 4.49 mark from 2001. Her 498 total kills tied for third in the rally-scoring era and seventh all-time in program history. She also delivered the Big 12’s top single-match performance of the year with a school-record 34 kills against West Virginia on October 1.

The Lincoln, Nebraska, native reached another milestone in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, recording her 1,000th career kill with her ninth of the night to become just the 20th player in program history to join the club. She finished her career with 1,029 kills (3.20 per set), ranking ninth in the rally-scoring era and 19^th all-time at K-State. Myers’ career kills-per-set mark stands seventh in the rally-scoring era, while her 1,148.5 career points rank 23rd in school history.

LeGrand, a Papillion, Nebraska, native, earned All-Region honors after delivering a breakout season marked by career highs across nearly every statistical category. She totaled 1,063 assists, 337 digs, 87 kills, 78 blocks and team-high 32 service aces. LeGrand’s 995 regular-season assists ranked sixth in the Big 12, while her 10.15 assists per set stood third in the league and 37^th nationally.

She surpassed the 1,000-assist milestone for the first time in her career during Friday’s NCAA Tournament opener against USD. LeGrand also posted a team-leading 17 double-doubles, becoming just the ninth player in program history to reach the mark in a single season. She concludes her Wildcat career with 1,333 assists, 473 digs, 96 kills, 39 aces and 93 total blocks.

K-State’s season (18-10, 10-8 Big 12) concluded at the 2025 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship after earning an at-large bid into the postseason. The Wildcats fell in three sets to No. 1 Nebraska in their 12^th appearance in the second round, marking the program’s 19th all-time NCAA Tournament showing and first under Mansfield.

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Utah State Volleyball Trio Earns AVCA All-Region Honors

Published

45 minutes ago

December 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

LOGAN, Utah – Utah State volleyball had a trio of players recognized as AVCA All-Region selections it was announced on Tuesday. Senior middle blocker Tierney Barlow and sophomore setter Kaylie Kofe were both named to the All-West Region first team while sophomore opposite side hitter Loryn Helgesen earned honorable mention.

These are the first AVCA All-Region player awards for Utah State since Shay Sorensen earned honorable mention in 2012, while Barlow and Kofe are the first named to an all-region team since Liz McArthur in 2010.

Kofe earned All-Region honors after leading the Aggie offense to a program-record .274 hitting percentage this season, ranking third in the nation with 11.08 assists per set and also earning Mountain West Player of the Year honors. Kofe is the only player in the nation with three matches of 60 or more assists. Her 1,330 total assists this season ranks fifth all-time at USU while she already sits in eighth for career assists at Utah State with 2,290. Kofe also added 32 kills, 28 aces, 285 digs and 37 total blocks on the year.

Barlow received the award after she broke Utah State’s single-season program record for hitting percentage with a mark of .444, shattering the previous mark of .375 (min. 5 attempts per set) held by Denae Mohlman and set in 1997. Barlow is now the career record holder for hitting percentage, sitting at .418 for her career at Utah State, topping current assistant coach/director of operations Kennedi Hansen’s career mark of .362 (min. 1,000 attacks). Barlow recorded six matches of at least 17 attempts and zero hitting errors this season while no other player in the nation had more than four according to ESPN research. Barlow finished with 321 kills, 18 aces, 51 digs and 93 blocks on the season. She earned All-MW honors for the fourth time in her career.

Helgesen earned honorable mention after recording 391 kills on a .295 hitting percentage, the 10th-highest hitting percentage in program history with at least five attempts per set. Helgesen also ranks seventh all-time for career hitting percentage at USU (min. 1,000 attempts) with a mark of .275 as an Aggie. Helgesen broke USU’s single-game hitting percentage record with at least 20 attempts, hitting .704 against Grand Canyon. Helgesen also added 26 aces, 96 digs and 68 blocks on the year. She earned All-MW honors for the first time in her career this season.

Fans can follow the Aggie volleyball program on Twitter, @USUVolleyball, on Facebook at /USUVolleyball or on Instagram, @usuvolleyball. Aggie fans can also follow the Utah State athletic program on Twitter, @USUAthletics, Facebook at /USUAthletics and on Instagram, @USUAthletics.

– USU –

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CAA Indoor Track & Field Weekly Awards – Dec. 9

Published

1 hour ago

December 9, 2025

Your Sports Nation

CAA Indoor Track & Field Weekly Awards – Dec. 9

12/9/2025 1:00:00 PM

Ben Kane

RICHMOND, Va. (Dec. 9, 2025) –North Carolina A&T junior Hayleigh Bryant, Northeastern senior Leila Curtis N.C. A&T senior Dyimond Walker, and Hampton sophomore Joseph Ernest earned CAA indoor track and field weekly award recognition for their performances last weekend.

WOMEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Hayleigh Bryant, N.C. A&T

Junior | Sprinter | Greensboro, N.C. / Northwest Guilford

Bryant took first place in the 200m at the Visit Winston-Salem College Kick-off. The junior’s 24.03 time marked an indoor personal record and was the eighth-fastest time in the country. Bryant also helped the Aggies produce a CAA-best 3:45.85 race in the 4x400m relay.

WOMEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Leila Curtis, Northeastern

Senior | Throws | Dix Hills, N.Y. / Half Hollows Hills High School East

Curtis placed second at the HBCU and Ivy Challenge with her performance in the shot put. With a mark of 15.24m, the Dix Hills, N.Y. resident has the ninth longest throw in the nation, and second best in Northeastern history.

MEN’S TRACK ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Dyimond Walker, N.C. A&T

Senior | Mid-Distance | Kansas City, Mo. / Hogan Preparatory Academy

Walker led a strong Aggies grouping in the 800m hurdles, winning the race and becoming one of five A&T athletes to finish in the top-10. With a time of 1:52.68, the senior ranked first in the CAA and ninth nationally. Walker also joined the men’s 4×400-meter relay, finishing at 3:12.29.

MEN’S FIELD ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Joseph Ernest, Hampton

Sophomore | Jumps | Sterling, Va. / Potomac Falls HS

Ernest won the triple jump at the Penn Open with a personal best finish. The sophomore jumper earned a mark of 15.38m (50” 5.5′), which was his first over 15m indoors and is the sixth best in the nation currently.

2025-26 CAA INDOOR TRACK & FIELD WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS

Women’s Track Athlete of the Week

Dec. 9: Hayleigh Bryant, N.C. A&T

Women’s Field Athlete of the Week

Dec. 9: Leila Curtis, Northeastern

Men’s Track Athlete of the Week

Dec.9 : Dyimond Walker, N.C. A&T

Men’s Field Athlete of the Week

Dec. 9: Joseph Ernest, Hampton

Follow the CAA on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to get up-to-date information and learn more about all CAA member institutions and their teams.

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