2023

Toccata Murphy, W50 American record holder in 400, handed 8-month doping ban for DHEA

In July 2022, Toccata Murphy, 53, of Alexis, North Carolina, twice ran 400 meters under 60 seconds — the first American over 50 to do so. She shattered the listed record of 61.02 by Emmanuelle “Emma” McGowan at Málaga worlds in 2018. Her latest record was set at the 2022 Kentucky masters outdoor nationals. But while she was being drug-tested in Lexington, Toccata noted her use of DHEA, which is on the banned list. Her drug test came up negative for any other PEDs, but she’s now accepted an 8-month ban from competition — starting December 9, 2022. (Corrected from…


Dr. Tissenbaum’s trip to Toruń was more than medal hunt — a search for Jewish meaning

Forget Dr. Delano Meriwether, the iconic sprinting medical doc of the early 1970s. My favorite fast physician is Dr. Allan Tissenbaum of Pittsburgh, whose up-and-down (via injury) career I’ve followed for decades. At the recent Torun world indoor meet, Dr. T took M60 60 gold in 7.71 seconds. (I’m predicting he’ll win the M100 100 outdoor title in four decades.) That is, if he can heal up from his myriad injuries. In Poland, he attempted only the short dash, saying he was dealing with “nerve upper extremity stuff.” No matter. His heart and mind were all right. Upon his return…


Richard Askwith reveals secrets of masters in ‘The Race Against Time’: Why, how we still run

Maybe the mountains had grown. Maybe the Earth’s gravitational pull was stronger than before. Or perhaps there was something wrong with my legs. My muscles felt not just weak but empty. Richard Askwith is obsessed with hills and mountains — real and metaphorical. (The word “Obsession” even appears in the subtitle of his 2004 book “Feet in the Clouds,” about trail running.) But the Englishman’s fourth tome, “The Race Against Time,” is stunning for his climb through the clouds to seek the wisdom of true-life gurus — elite masters runners, trainers and scientists. Instead of asking the Secret of Life,…