by Micah McKamie
As I opened my door at Sunnyside Diner a blast of air hit me in the face. It was a little colder than I expected, however, it felt invigorating in a way. I was super excited to be there! Training Through Terps had been marketing this run for almost a month and I was curious to see how it all came together. The wind was coming off the lake in gusts, but as I walked up to the “Gassed Up Group Run” you could tell everyone was in “high” spirits! The gaggle of runners was about 25-30 people in various brightly colored workout attire and amazingly some people had just come to be supportive even though the weather hadn’t completely cooperated on the chosen Sunday. The group’s co-founders Kenny And Micah started this group to make a valiant effort at changing the perception of cannabis users in our society. “ Ultimately our goal is to help non-medicators see that just because you use cannabis, does not mean that the lazy stigma has to be how people see you,” said Kenny, “We are out here Breaking the Stigma and changing peoples mindset while promoting a healthy lifestyle!”
Out of the 28 people that showed up for this frigid frolic, fifteen ended up running the route while the others took advantage of Sunnyside Diner’s excellent hospitality!! “Overall, just having people out, being able to share in our passion for cannabis and fitness, as well as, being able to link up some pretty amazing people, has made us feel like this has been a huge success,” said Micah. “We have these planned out for the next six months and have located these events all over Oklahoma, including one in Tulsa for Armed Forces Day in conjunction with Sherweed Forrest, which is a group of cannabis advocates who are changing the industry through media and art,” he added. As I walked around and talked with each of the participants, before the run, I realized the eclectic group in which had been assembled. People from all walks of life and backgrounds had come to be a part of this community practice!!! As we moved up to the starting line the mood became more lively and pumped. Everyone was highly medicated by this point and as we started off on our route it became evident to me that this was going to be a big deal.
After the run, we all congregated on the porch at Sunnyside and ate brunch, and just talked about weed. As if just hanging out with other canna-centric fitness nuts wasn’t enough, they had at least 4 vendors there with merch for the participants, as well as, all sorts of deals from local dispensaries. As the day ended and we started to say our goodbyes, I realized that we had been there for a while. The group met at 9 and the last people didn’t leave until 1:30ish, which was surprising considering that this was a short cannabis fun run, but it flew by! With all the great people that showed up, the poignant conversation, excellent food, and amazing products, the “Gassed Up Group Run” was an awesome success and made for an amazing day!! As I got in my car to head out I thought to myself, I cannot wait for the next one!!!
Upcoming Gassed Up Group Run events:
-Saturday March 20th Western/Paseo District
-Tuesday April 20th Stillwater
-Saturday May 15th Tulsa
-Sunday June 6 OKC D-Day run