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A lifetime ago, someone told us they liked to use marijuana before cross-country races. "You feel like you're flying," that person said (as we recall, said person didn't win many races — but then again, neither did we).
We'd like to find them and apprise them of how times have changed. A stoned person is very likely to win a 5K next month in Golden Gate Park,
when The 420 Games hosts its inaugural marijuana-laced athletic competition.
The brainchild
of a Stanford-educated Tahoe-area man, The 420 Games aim to dispel myths that cannabis users are lazy layabouts with hardly a speck of athletic ability. For $60,
entrants can run or walk through the park and then enjoy a few pours of Lagunitas (which, we are finding out, could be the Bay Area's weed-friendliest beer company).
Of course, runners will — legally — have to toke up at home. Because — legally — you can't smoke in Golden Gate Park.
Event founder Jim McAlpine says he wants to prove something before marijuana legalization, which is now seen as inevitable, namely that adults can balance responsible marijuana use with physical activity,
he told the Smell the Truth blog recently.
Some very famous athletes have been "busted" for marijuana use. Chief among them: Olympic legend Michael Phelps, who was photographed pulling a heroic tube following his record haul of swimming gold medals. Phelps's toke cost him a Kellogg's sponsorship. Stockton native Nick Diaz, a UFC fighter who is one of the promotion's top draws, had medals revoked after he tested positive for marijuana use.
It's doubtful elite runners will flock to the 420 Games, but you never know. Elite stoners will likely stay away, since you can't legally smoke marijuana at the event.
At issue is a section of the San Francisco Park Code which says nothing can be smoked in parks. That includes cigarettes, cannabis, and, yes, banana peels.
Obviously, this is one of the city's least-observed rules, as the annual 420 party in Golden Gate Park proves. Still, fair warning: using 420 at the 420 Games can earn you a ticket from Park Patrol.
