The Boat Race 1998
The 144th Boat Race took place on 28 March 1998. Held annually, the Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing race between crews from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge along the River Thames. Cambridge, with the heaviest crew in the history of the event, won by three lengths in a record time of 16 minutes 19 seconds. In the reserve race, Oxford's Isis defeated Cambridge's Goldie in a time which equalled the record, while Cambridge won the Women's Boat Race. Background The Boat Race is a side-by-side rowing competition between the University of Oxford (sometimes referred to as the "Dark Blues") and the University of Cambridge (sometimes referred to as the "Light Blues"). First held in 1829, the race takes place on the Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London. The rivalry is a major point of honour between the two universities and followed throughout the United Kingdom and broadcast worldwide. Cambridge went into the race as reigning champions, having won the 1997 race by two lengths, and led overall with 74 victories to Oxford's 68 (excluding the "dead heat" of 1877). The first Women's Boat Race took place in 1927, but did not become an annual fixture