Lably
Skip to content

The Boat Race

Rowing races between Cambridge and Oxford

  • 21 min read
  • 10 chapters

Related on Lably

Through World War I, World War II and COVID-19 pandemic

Lab · Class 8–10India's Freedom StruggleLab · Class 8National Movement

The men's race was first held in 1829 and is the second oldest inter-university sporting event in the world. It 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 held in 1927, and the Women's Boat Race has been an annual event since 1964. Since 2015, the women's race has taken place on the same day and course as the men, and since 2018 the combined event of the two races has been referred to as "The Boat Race". A reserve (2nd VIII) boat race has also been held since 1965 for the men and since 1966 for the women, although a women's reserve race in IVs took place in 1965.

The Championship Course has hosted the vast majority of the men's races. Covering a 4.2-mile (6.8 km) stretch of the Thames in West London, from Putney to Mortlake, it is over three times the distance of an Olympic 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 the 2025 race, Cambridge has won the men's race 88 times to Oxford's 81 times, with one dead heat, and has led Oxford in cumulative wins since 1930. In the women's race, Cambridge has won the race 48 times to Oxford's 30 times, and has led Oxford in cumulative wins since 1966.

Usually, over 250,000 people watch the race from the banks of the river. In 2009, a record 270,000 people watched the race live. The race is broadcast internationally on television; in 2014, 15 million people watched the race on television.

History of the men's race

Origin

The tradition was started in 1829 by Charles Merivale, a student at St John's College, Cambridge, and his Old Harrovian school friend Charles Wordsworth who was studying at Christ Church, Oxford. The University of Cambridge challenged the University of Oxford to a race at Henley-on-Thames but Oxford won easily. Oxford raced in dark blue because five members of the crew, including the stroke, were from Christ Church, then Head of the River, whose colours were dark blue.

The second race was in 1836, with the venue moved to a course from Westminster to Putney. Over the next two years, there was disagreement over where the race should be held, with Oxford preferring Henley and Cambridge preferring London. Following the official formation of the Oxford University Boat Club, racing between the two universities resumed in 1839 on the Tideway and the tradition continues to the present day, with the loser challenging the winner to a rematch annually.

Since 1856, the race has been held every year, except for the years 1915 to 1919 due to World War I, 1940 to 1945, due to World War II, and in 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic policy.

The Boats

The design of the boats used in the contest has over the years been refined through an on-going "arms race" between different boatbuilders. The first winning boat of 1829 resembled a pilot gig from Cornwall (45 ft or 14 metres in length, and weighing 972 lb or 441 kg), while those used a century later were 62 ft 6 in (19 metres) long and weighed approximately 350 lb or 160 kg. Factors that dictated where a boat was sourced from included success at a lower level, location of the boatbuilder, and the result of the previous contest. Others included different rowing styles in the early years, the influence of different schools of boatbuilding, family business connections and design innovations. The contest was dominated by Thames boatbuilders initially and during much of the 20th century, but those from the Newcastle 'stable' led in the late 19th century. After 1976 (the last race contested in a wooden boat) new composite materials were introduced that led to a new generation of boat manufacturers dominating the contest.

1877 dead heat

The race in 1877 was declared a dead heat. Both crews finished in a time of 24 minutes and 8 seconds in bad weather. The verdict of the race judge, John Phelps, is considered suspect because he was reportedly over 70 and blind in one eye. Rowing historian Tim Koch, writing in the official 2014 Boat Race Programme, notes that there is "a very big and very entrenched lie" about the race, including the claim that Phelps had announced "Dead heat ... to Oxford by six feet" (the distance supposedly mentioned by Phelps varies according to the telling).

Phelps's nickname "Honest John" was not an ironic one, and he was not (as is sometimes claimed) drunk under a bush at the time of the finish. He did have to judge who had won without the assistance of finish posts (which were installed in time for the next year's race). Some newspapers had believed Oxford won a narrow victory but their viewpoint was from downstream; Phelps considered that the boats were essentially level with each surging forward during the stroke cycle. With no clear way to determine who had surged forward at the exact finish line, Phelps could only pronounce it a dead heat. Koch believes that the press and Oxford supporters made up the stories about Phelps later, which Phelps had no chance to refute.

Oxford, partially disabled, were making effort after effort to hold their rapidly waning lead, while Cambridge, who, curiously enough, had settled together again, and were rowing almost as one man, were putting on a magnificent spurt at 40 strokes to the minute, with a view of catching their opponents before reaching the winning-post. Thus struggling over the remaining portion of the course, the two eights raced past the flag alongside one another, and the gun fired amid a scene of excitement rarely equalled and never exceeded. Cheers for one crew were succeeded by counter-cheers for the other, and it was impossible to tell what the result was until the Press boat backed down to the Judge and inquired the issue. John Phelps, the waterman, who officiated, replied that the noses of the boats passed the post strictly level, and that the result was a dead heat.

— The Times

Temporary cancellations during World Wars

Because of World War I and II, the race was completely cancelled in 1915–1919 and 1940–1945. On 12 January 1915, The Daily Telegraph announced that the annual race was completely cancelled due to men leaving for war, "for every available oarsman, either Fresher or Blue, has joined the colours."

1959 Oxford mutiny

In 1959 some of the existing Oxford blues attempted to oust president Ronnie Howard and coach Jumbo Edwards. Their attempt failed when Cambridge supported the president. Three of the dissidents returned and Oxford went on to win by six lengths.

1987 Oxford mutiny

Following defeat in the previous year's race, Oxford's first in eleven years, American Chris Clark was determined to gain revenge: "Next year we're gonna kick ass ... Cambridge's ass. Even if I have to go home and bring the whole US squad with me." He recruited another four American post-graduates: three international-class rowers (Dan Lyons, Chris Huntington and Chris Penny) and a cox (Jonathan Fish), in an attempt to put together the fastest Boat Race crew in the history of the contest.

Disagreements over the training regime of Dan Topolski, the Oxford coach ("He wanted us to spend more time training on land than water!", lamented Lyons), led to the crew walking out on at least one occasion, and resulted in the coach revising his approach. A fitness test between Clark and club president Donald Macdonald (in which Clark triumphed) resulted in a call for Macdonald's removal; it was accompanied with a threat that the Americans would refuse to row should Macdonald remain in the crew. As boat club president, Macdonald "had absolute power over selection", and when he announced that Clark would row on bow side, his weaker side, Macdonald would row on the stroke side and Tony Ward was to be dropped from the crew entirely, the American contingent mutinied. After considerable negotiation and debate, much of it conducted in the public eye, Clark, Penny, Huntington, Lyons and Fish were dropped and replaced by members of Oxford's reserve crew, Isis.

The race was won by Oxford by four lengths, despite Cambridge being favourites.

In 1989 Topolski and author Patrick Robinson's book about the events, True Blue: The Oxford Boat Race Mutiny, was published. Seven years later, a film based on the book was released. Alison Gill, the then-president of the Oxford University Women's Boat Club, wrote The Yanks at Oxford, in which she defended the Americans and claimed Topolski wrote True Blue in order to justify his own actions. River and Rowing Museum founder Chris Dodd described True Blue as "particularly offensive" yet also wrote "[Oxford] lacked the power, the finesse—basically everything the pre-mutiny line-up had going for it."

2012 disruption

In the 2012 race, after almost three-quarters of the course had been rowed, the race was halted for over 30 minutes when a lone protester, Australian Trenton Oldfield, entered the water from Chiswick Eyot and deliberately swam between the boats near Chiswick Pier with the intention of protesting against spending cuts, and what he saw as the erosion of civil liberties and a growing culture of elitism within British society. Once he was spotted by assistant umpire Sir Matthew Pinsent, both boats were required to stop for safety reasons. Once restarted, the boats clashed and the oar of Oxford crewman Hanno Wienhausen was broken in half with the blade snapped off. The race umpire John Garrett judged the clash to be Oxford's fault and allowed the race to continue. Cambridge quickly took the lead and went on to win the race. The Oxford crew entered a final appeal to the umpire which was quickly rejected; and Cambridge were confirmed as winners in the first race since 1849 that a crew had won the boat race without an official recorded winning time. After the end of the race Oxford's bow man, Alex Woods, received emergency treatment after collapsing in the boat from exhaustion. Because of the circumstances, the post-race celebrations by the winning Cambridge crew were unusually muted and the planned award ceremony was cancelled.

2020 cancellation

Like other sports events, the 2020 boat race was completely cancelled because of COVID-19 pandemic policy.

2021 Cambridgeshire relocation

The 2021 races were held on the Great Ouse at Ely in Cambridgeshire for the first time since the Second World War in 1944, over a shorter straight course of 4.9 kilometres (3.0 mi). This was due to the safety issues of Hammersmith Bridge, as well as restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic still being in force.

The 2022 Boat Race returned to the Thames and the traditional course between Putney and Mortlake.

Sinkings

In the 1912 race, rowed in extremely poor weather and high winds, both crews sank. Oxford rowed into a significant early lead, but began taking on water, and made for the bank shortly after passing Hammersmith Bridge to empty the boat out: although they attempted to restart, the race was abandoned at this point because Cambridge had also sunk while passing the Harrods Depository.

Cambridge also sank in 1859 and in 1978, while Oxford did so in 1925, and again in 1951; the 1951 race was re-rowed on the following Monday. In 1984 the Cambridge boat sank after colliding with a barge before the start of the race, which was then rescheduled for the next day. In 2016, at Barnes Bridge, Cambridge women began to sink but gradually recovered to complete the race.

Sign in to keep reading

9 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

More in Sports, games and recreation

FIFAInternational governing body of association footballNational Collegiate Athletic AssociationNorth American athletic organizationMajor League SoccerProfessional soccer league in the United States and CanadaNASCARAmerican automobile racing companyCommonwealth GamesMulti-sport event involving athletes from the Commonwealth of NationsNew York YankeesMajor League Baseball franchise