The 124th Boat Race between crews from the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
and the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
took place on the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
on 25 March 1978.
Umpired by former Cambridge rower
James Crowden
James Gee Pascoe Crowden CVO (14 November 1927 – 24 September 2016) was an English former oarsman who competed for Great Britain in the 1952 Summer Olympics. He was Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire.
Crowden was born in Tilney All Saints, ne ...
, Oxford won in a time of 18 minutes and 58 seconds. The race was complicated by bad weather, and when faced with choppy water, a strong headwind and horizontal, driving rain, the Cambridge boat, which lacked splashboards, took on water and sank. It was the fifth time a boat had sunk during the event.
In the reserve race, Cambridge's Goldie beat Oxford's Isis by lengths. Cambridge won the 33rd
Women's Boat Race
The Women's Boat Race is an annual rowing race between Cambridge University Women's Boat Club and Oxford University Women's Boat Club. First rowed in 1927, the race has taken place annually since 1964. Since the 2015 race it has been rowed on ...
.
Background
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. There are separate men's ...
is a
side-by-side rowing competition between the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
and the
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...
. First held in 1829, the competition is a race along the
River Thames
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
in southwest London. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities and is followed throughout the United Kingdom and worldwide.
Oxford went into the race as reigning champions, having won the
1977 race by seven lengths,
with Cambridge leading overall with 68 victories to Oxford's 54 (excluding the
"dead heat" of 1877). The 1978 race was sponsored by
Ladbrokes
Ladbrokes Coral is a British gambling company founded in 1886. Its product offering includes sports betting, online casino, online poker, and online bingo. The business is split into two divisions, UK and International. UK operations are c ...
, while the
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...
had paid between £10,000 and £20,000 to televise the event.
During training for the race, Oxford had sunk, taking on water in the inclement weather, and had decided to fit splashboards to their boat, while Cambridge opted to leave their boat unchanged.
Prior to this year's event, there had been four sinkings in the history of the race. Cambridge sank in
took place in 1927, but did not become an annual fixture until the 1960s. Up until 2014, the contest was conducted as part of the
, it is held on the River Thames, on the same day as the men's main and reserve races. The reserve race, contested between Oxford's Isis boat and Cambridge's Goldie boat has been held since 1965. It usually takes place on the Tideway, prior to the main Boat Race.