| The Boat Race The Cancer Research UK Boat Race | |
| Contested by | |
|
|
| CUBC | OUBC |
| theboatraces | |
| First boat race | 10 June 1829 |
| Annual event since | 15 March 1856 |
| Current champion | Cambridge (2024) |
| Course | Henley-on-Thames (1829) |
|---|---|
| Westminster to Putney (1836–42) | |
| The Championship Course (1845–2019) | |
| River Great Ouse (2021) | |
| Smallest margin of victory | Oxford, 1 foot (30 cm) (2003) |
| Course Record (Championship Course) | Cambridge, 16:19
(1998) |
| Current sponsor | Gemini |
| Trophy | The Boat Race Trophy |
| Number of wins | |
| Cambridge | Oxford |
| 87 | 81 |
| Note: There has been one dead heat, recorded in 1877 | |
The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the men's senior boat clubs of the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues")[1] and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues").[1] The race was first held in 1829 on a 2+1⁄4-mile (3.6 km) stretch of the River Thames.[2] For the women's senior boat clubs race see "The Women's Boat Race".
As of 2015 the race takes place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course, between Putney and Mortlake on the Thames in south-west London.[3] The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities; it is followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide.[4][5] Four unofficial boat races were held during the Second World War, both on the Thames and the Great Ouse in Ely. The crews were not recognised as full Blues and as such, the results of these races are not included in the official tally.
As of the 2024 race, Cambridge lead overall in the competition with 87 victories to Oxford's 81; the 1877 race was declared a "dead heat".[6][7] Cambridge have led Oxford in cumulative wins since 1930.[6]
The reserve crews of Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Clubs have also raced against one another since 1967. Oxford's boat Isis (named after The Isis, a section of the Thames which flows through Oxford) and Cambridge's boat Goldie (named after former Cambridge boat club president John Goldie) compete on The Championship Course, usually on the same day as the main Boat Race. As at 2021, Cambridge's reserve crew have the overall lead with 32 victories to Oxford's 24.[6]
- ^ a b "Dark Blues aim to punch above their weight". The Observer. 6 April 2003. Archived from the original on 11 September 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
- ^ MacMichael, p. 34.
- ^ Smith, Oliver (25 March 2014). "University Boat Race 2014: spectators' guide". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 1 July 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
- ^ "Former Winnipegger in winning Oxford–Cambridge Boat Race crew". CBC News. 6 April 2014. Archived from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 9 July 2014.
- ^ "TV and radio". The Boat Race Company Limited. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
- ^ a b c "Boat Race – Results". The Boat Race Company Limited. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
- ^ "Classic moments – the 1877 dead heat". The Boat Race Company Limited. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 8 April 2014.
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