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…

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M75 Gary Patton engineers record-breaking season, wins USATF Masters Athlete of the Year

Last December, Masters Hall of Famer Gary Patton turned 75 and set his eyes on some middle-distance records. First up, in January, was Paul Perry’s 6:10.98 American age-group record in the indoor mile. Gary scorched a Wichita State track in 5:55.26 — a rare sub-6 for a 75-year-old. (The listed WR is 5:41.95 by Canada’s Earl Fee.) But the Kansas meet lacked a USATF sanction, so the mark was rejected. Not to worry. Gary — a retired engineer in Rock Rapids, Iowa (about 50 minutes east of Sioux Falls, South Dakota) — kept cranking. The result: American outdoor records in…