Runner's high: 'Survivor' star Ethan Zohn to run the Boston Marathon while using cannabis

BOSTON — Some long-distance runners rely on caffeine gels, ibuprofen or even pickle juice to keep their bodies at the high level of intensity needed for a marathon.

“Survivor” star Ethan Zohn chose a different route: cannabis.

When he runs the Boston Marathon on April 18, Zohn will use Momenta, a line of cannabis products from Trulieve, which has dispensaries in Framingham, Worcester and Northampton. Zohn, a Lexington native, is Momenta’s brand ambassador.

From cancer aid to exercise regimen

As a former professional soccer player, the “Survivor: Africa” winner used to steer clear of marijuana. That all changed when he was diagnosed with a rare type of Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2009.

“I was on a lot of synthetic meds that the doctors prescribed to me,” Zohn, 48, recalled last week during a media event at Trulieve’s new Framingham location. “They definitely saved my life; however, I was looking for other ways to help mitigate some of the side effects of cancer treatments.”

More: Framingham's Trulieve promises elevated adult-use marijuana experience

He wanted to try cannabis, but access to the drug was limited in 2009.

“So I was literally going to the streets of New York City, bald with chemo, mask on and gloves, talking to a drug dealer,” Zohn said. “And this was to help me get, like, medicine to help me feel better with cancer.”

Zohn beat cancer a second time in 2012 and is now marking 10 years in remission. But his cannabis use didn’t stop there.

He said his battles with cancer left him with “invisible scars, the dump trucks of uncertainty, the fear of the cancer coming back again, the anxiety of just trying to live a normal life and pick up the pieces.”

In remission, Zohn delved further into cannabis and CBD, a chemical found in marijuana that doesn’t produce a high but may carry some health benefits.

“Everyone says, ‘You’re so strong to get through cancer; you’re an inspiration,’ but in my mind, it’s like, when a doctor tells you to do something or you’ll die, you pretty much do it,” Zohn said. “There’s no choice there.”

He said he’s using Momenta during the Marathon both to celebrate his 10-year remission anniversary and to erase some of the stigma surrounding cannabis use.

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“I think a lot of people do it, they just don’t talk about it,” Zohn said, also emphasizing the benefits of medical marijuana.

How does it work?

At face value, exercise and marijuana appear to be an unlikely combination — after all, the stereotypical stoner from TV and movies might seem better suited to the couch than the treadmill. However, early studies suggest cannabis may offer benefits for athletes like Zohn.

One University of Colorado Boulder study found that 80% of cannabis users mix marijuana with workouts, with the majority reporting that it increases enjoyment and boosts motivation and recovery. Another study found that older adults who used marijuana exercised more than those who didn’t, according to CU Boulder.

USA TODAY: Why does the World Anti-Doping Agency ban marijuana in sports?

Momenta, which launched midway through 2021, is targeted at existing medical marijuana users and those who are “canna-curious” and looking to incorporate cannabis as part of a plant-based wellness lifestyle, explained Trulieve Chief Marketing Officer Valda Coryat. She likened it to taking a multivitamin.

Zohn’s publicized use of Momenta during the Marathon is “really, I think, a testament to cannabis becoming more normalized,” Coryat said. “For us, it means a lot to have his endorsement, for sure, but it's also another proof point for consumers out there who may still be curious and unsure about whether there’s room for cannabis in their lives.”

Zohn will document his journey with marathon training and Momenta products in a docuseries called “26.2 Miles High on Life,” according to Trulieve.

He plans to take a 5 mg Momenta sativa capsule at the start of the race, then again at the halfway mark.

“And then post-race, I’m like bathing in this stuff,” he said with a laugh, pointing to the brand’s THC-infused topical pain cream. Zohn will also take a 1:1 CBD and THC tincture after the race to aid recovery, according to a Trulieve press release.

“I’d much rather use this than crush like three Advil, take a caffeine gel at Mile 13 — all this stuff people are taking anyway — but cannabis is from the Earth, it’s all natural,” he said.

Good to be home

This month’s race will be something of a homecoming for Zohn, who now lives in Hillsborough, New Hampshire, and still has family in Waltham, Salem and Andover.

He will be running the Marathon for AKTIV Against Cancer, which works to ensure that exercise is an integral part of cancer treatment.

It’s not his first time running Boston: Zohn was nearly at the finish line in 2013 when he was forced to end his race early due to the bombings.

“They pulled me off the course at Mile 24 because of the terrorist bombings, so to be back, able to actually finish the race, it’s like my whole life is kind of coming to here,” he said.

Abby Patkin is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. Follow Abby on Twitter @AMPatkin. She can be reached at apatkin@wickedlocal.com.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Boston Marathon: 'Survivor' Ethan Zohn, from Lexington, uses marijuana