President Lowell Was First of Harvard Double Winners in Distance Runs-Set College Record for Mile in 1875 Meet

The first record of a Harvard distance runner's winning two firsts in the same afternoon, a feat often accomplished by University endurance stars in recent years, is of a meet in 1875 in which President Lowell, then an undergraduate was proclaimed victor in both the mile and half mile. The record of 5 minutes 2 1-2 seconds which he set in the former race withstood the assaults of the Crimson trackmen until a cinder track greatly improved the conditions of running at Harvard.

The state of the old dirt track on Holmes Field was such that records in any way comparable to those made on present day, carefully tended cinder tracks were quite impossible.

"The fall meeting of the Athletic Association," says a contemporary account of the meet, took place Saturday afternoon. The track had been prepared with great care, but as it had frozen in the night and thawed in the forenoon it was in a bad condition. A large number of ladies were present and the meeting was altogether a successful one.

"The first event was a one mile run, in which A. L. Lowell '77, and C. James '79 were the only starters. James took the lead, and kept in advance until the end of the second, when he was passed by Lowell, who won the race in 5 min 2 1-2 sec. Mr. Lowell then mounted the judges stand and after receiving his prize a magnificent silver tankard leaped from the stand to the ground, and disappeared in the crowd amidst loud shouts of applause.

"In the half mile run the contestants were P. Lowell '76, Keyes '77, A. L. Lowell '77, and Dunham '77, A. L. Lowell came in first his time being 2 min 9 sec."