The Boat Race
Two universities, one stretch of the Thames, and a tradition of boats sinking, rebellions, a dead heat and a swimmer in the way.
Published
Quick Facts
- First race
- 1829, at Henley-on-Thames, won by Oxford
- Course
- Putney to Mortlake, 4 miles 374 yards (about 6.8 km)
- Colours
- Dark blue for Oxford, light blue for Cambridge
- Only dead heat
- 1877
- Course record
- 16 minutes 19 seconds, set by Cambridge in 1998
- Women's race
- First rowed in 1927; on the Putney to Mortlake course on the same day as the men's since 2015
- Rematches
- 1912 and 1951, after boats sank
- Off the Thames
- 2021, when both races were held at Ely because of the pandemic
It started with a challenge between schoolfriends
The Boat Race began with a note between two old Harrow pals. Charles Merivale, at Cambridge, challenged Charles Wordsworth, at Oxford, and the first race was rowed at Henley-on-Thames in 1829. Wordsworth was the nephew of the poet William Wordsworth, and Oxford won. The race moved to London, running from Westminster to Putney in 1836. It has been held annually since 1856, except during the two world wars and in 2020, when it was cancelled because of the pandemic. The course we know today, from Putney to Mortlake, was settled in the 1860s. Oxford and Cambridge crews are still known as the Dark Blues and the Light Blues, and the colours are part of why the day feels like a national event rather than a student regatta.
Four miles of river, and the bends decide it
The Championship Course runs upstream from Putney Bridge, past Fulham, Hammersmith Bridge and Chiswick Eyot, and finishes at Chiswick Bridge near Mortlake. It takes a little under 20 minutes in normal conditions. The Thames bends, and the bends are the point. The crew with the inside line gains an advantage, and the tide and the wind change which side is better. That is why the coin toss matters: the winning president chooses Surrey or Middlesex, and the other crew gets the other side. The coin is a gold sovereign from 1829, the year of the first race. The record of 16 minutes 19 seconds was set by Cambridge in 1998, helped by a fast stream. In rough conditions, crews are in danger of swamping.
The times the boats went under
The Thames has a long record of sinking Boat Race crews. On Saturday 30 March 1912 both boats went down, and the race was rerun on Monday 1 April, two days later, with Oxford winning. In 1951 Oxford sank and the race was rerun on the Monday, which Cambridge won. In 1978 Cambridge sank in rough water and Oxford won. The oddest finish came in 1877, when the crews crossed the line level and the judge declared a dead heat. It remains the only one in the race's history. In 2012 the race was stopped when a swimmer, Trenton Oldfield, entered the water in protest against elitism. He was jailed for six months. The race was restarted, and an Oxford oar was broken in a clash of blades. Cambridge won.
The year the Oxford crew mutinied
The most dramatic fight in Boat Race history happened before the 1987 race. A group of American rowers at Oxford, led by Chris Clark, rebelled against the club's president, Donald Macdonald, over training methods and selection. The dispute went public and ended with several American rowers and the cox withdrawing. Replacements from Oxford's reserve crew, Isis, joined the crew that won the race. Dan Topolski, Oxford's coach, later wrote about the episode in his book True Blue, which became a film. Oxford won the race. There have also been famous coxes. Colin Moynihan steered Oxford to victory in 1977 and later became a government sports minister.
Traditions, from the dunking to the women's race
Winning coxes are traditionally thrown into the Thames, a ritual that is best enjoyed in warmer weather. Crowds line the riverbanks and bridges, and millions watch on television worldwide. The women's race has a history dating back to 1927, but for decades it was held at different places and times. Since 2015, the women's and men's races have been rowed on the same course on the same day, and the women's race has become a major event in its own right. In 2020 the race was cancelled, and in 2021 it was moved to Ely, on the Great Ouse, because of the pandemic. Cambridge led the men's series in 2024, but Oxford have never stopped believing in the next one.
Notable people
- Charles Merivale
- Charles Wordsworth
- Colin Moynihan
- Dan Topolski
- Chris Clark
- Trenton Oldfield
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