The Boat Race

The Boat Race is an annual set of rowing races between the Cambridge University Boat Club and the Oxford University Boat Club, traditionally rowed between open-weight eights on the River Thames in London, England. It is also known as the University Boat Race and the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race.

There are separate men’s and women’s races, as well as races for reserve crews. The men’s race was first held in 1829 and has been held annually since 1856, except during the First and Second World Wars (although unofficial races were conducted) and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The first women’s event was in 1927 and the race has been held annually since 1964. Since 2015, the women’s race has taken place on the same day and course, and since 2018 the combined event of the two races has been referred to as the Boat Race.

The Championship Course has hosted the vast majority of the races. It covers a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) stretch of the Thames in West London, from Putney to Mortlake. Other locations have been used, including a stretch of the River Great Ouse which was the venue for the 2021 race. Members of both crews are traditionally known as blues and each boat as a “Blue Boat”, with Cambridge in light blue and Oxford in dark blue. As of 2023, Cambridge has won the men’s race 86 times and Oxford 81 times, with one dead heat, and has led Oxford in cumulative wins since 1930. In the women’s race, Cambridge have won the race 45 times and Oxford 30 times, and has led Oxford in cumulative wins since 1966. A reserve boat race has been held since 1965 for the men and since 1966 for the women.

In most years over 250,000 people watch the race from the banks of the river. In 2009, a record 270,000 people watched the race live. A further 15 million or more watch it on television.