The Boat Race is a rowing race that takes place between Putney and Mortlake on the river Thames. The contestants are Cambridge and Oxford University students. It has separate men's and women's races. Also, approximately 250.000+ people come to the river Thames to watch it each year and about 7 million people follow it on their national television. This year the event took place on the 27th March.
Many famous individuals participated in this event in the past, such as Sir Mathew Pinsent, James Cracknell, Tim Foster, and more.
The Men's Race:
The tradition began on June 10th, 1829 and the length of the course is 4.2 miles. The first race happened between two friends, one from Cambridge University and one from Oxford University. The fastest record is held by Cambridge at 16min 19sec, set in 1998. And so far, Cambridge has won 86 races and Oxford 81, although a "dead heat", or tie, was recorded in 1877.
The Women’s Race:
The first Women’s Boat race began on March 15th, 1927 and it has been held annually since 1964. Currently, Cambridge is the women’s champion, with 47 wins, Oxford having 30. It’s the same length and location as the men’s and the record is held by Cambridge in 2022 at 18 min 22sec. Until 2015, the women’s boat race was held separately to the men’s and there was a definite inequality between the events. This changed in 2015/2016 due to the races being held together and the women’s training facilities being updated, so they are comparable to those of the men’s.