James F. "Jim" Crowley was an American athlete, distance runner, and a member of the Irish American Athletic Club. In 1910, he was known as "King of the Marathoners"[1] for having competed in and won more marathons than any of the athletes of his day.
In 1908, Crowley won the second oldest marathon in the U.S., the Yonkers Marathon, held on Thanksgiving Day, sponsored by the Mercury Athletic Club of Yonkers, New York, "winning from a large and classy field in the excellent time of 2 hours 49 minutes 16.4 seconds."[1] "Before a crowd of nearly twenty thousand uproarious enthusiasts ... James F. Crowley of the Irish American Athletic Club, crossed the tape, a winner of the biggest and probably the most spectacular event of its kind ever held in America."[2]
On December 26, 1908, he finished second to Matt Maloney in the marathon from Rye to Columbus Circle, New York."[1]
In 1909, Crowley held the following A.A.U indoor records:
On November 14, 1910, at Celtic Park, Queens, New York, on the track of the Irish American Athletic Club, Crowley broke every A.A.U mile and half mile record from 10½ miles to 17 miles (27 km).[4]