- Diplo ran the LA Marathon in under four hours and says he took a psychedelic drug to do it.
- The DJ and producer said that he put five drops of LSD into his water bottle.
DJ and producer Diplo ran the Los Angeles marathon in under four hours — and says he took LSD to do it.
Diplo said on Twitter on Monday that he put five drops of LSD into a water bottle the night before he ran the 26.2-mile course with over 20,000 others.
"The most I ever ran was 11 miles so I did what any normal person would do and took LSD," Diplo, né Thomas Pentz, said on Instagram on Thursday.
LSD, short for lysergic acid diethylamide, is a psychoactive drug that's banned in the US, and most other countries.
In recent years, microdosing — where drugs are taken at levels that don't induce a trip — has emerged as a trend in Silicon Valley, with people claiming that LSD helps with creativity and productivity, though it's not proven.
Scientists are studying whether the drug, at a microdose, might help to spark energy, and improve pain in older people, as well as testing it at much higher doses alongside psychotherapy for health conditions like cluster headaches.
As for marathon runners, there's no data to inform us whether microdosing LSD is beneficial or dangerous, David Nutt, director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Unit in the Division of Brain Sciences at Imperial College London, UK, told Insider. The drug can temporarily increase blood pressure, heart rate, and body temperature in healthy people, but we don't know its effects in marathon runners, which likely depends on the dose and a person's physical health.
Diplo beat Oprah Winfrey's marathon time
Most runners in the race — which attracts people from across the world — are expected to complete it in three to five hours, though elite runners can cross the finish line in around two hours.
Diplo, 44, said in the Instagram post that his "only goal" was to beat TV host Oprah Winfrey's Marine Corps Marathon time of four hours 29 minutes 20 seconds, which she achieved, aged 40, in 1994.
Diplo finished the race in three hours 35 minutes.
"Huge thanks to the Olympian Alexi who paces me, shout out my knees which will never be the same, and my kids for waiting for me at the finish line," he said on Instagram, referring to runner Alexi Pappas.