boat race boat race took place march held annually boat race rowing race crews universities oxford cambridge river thames cambridge won previous year race lengths year race umpired rower won oxford length time minutes seconds oxford crew featured blues cambridge dark blues win years slowest winning time victory took overall record event favour oxford background boat race rowing competition university_of_oxford referred dark blues university_of_cambridge referred light blues race held taken place mile championship course river thames southwest london rivalry major point honour universities followed united_kingdom broadcast worldwide cambridge went race reigning champions having won race lengths oxford led overall victories cambridge excluding dead heat oxford coaches rowed oxford races president previous year time blue represented oxford times cambridge coached rowed light blues times time blue time blue umpire race twelfth year row won event consecutive times rowing oxford races author oxford rower wrote dark blues created sensation elected row boat designed based built newcastle race crew remarked material built second class coached gold attained nearly class pace cambridge crew suffered illness practice late reorganisation crew received set recovered crews oxford crew weighed average pounds rower opponents cambridge crew contained single rower boat_race experience number boat club president conversely oxford saw blues return boat including rower cox making appearance event participants race registered british seven cambridge crew members studying race cambridge won toss elected start surrey station handing middlesex river oxford heavy strong wind south west conditions race started race oxford taking advantage bend river gradually drew away opponents hold half length lead mile_post cambridge stroke ensure crews level time passed oxford stroke rate dropped conceded ground light blues long bend dropped despite closer shore water rough cambridge struggled oxford found impossible water pass cambridge settled light blues near barnes bridge moved simultaneously result began overlap cambridge bend river favour race crews passed brewery encountering rough water cambridge unable respond oxford passed finishing post length ahead time minutes seconds dark blues win years slowest winning time race victory took overall record event favour oxford
The Boat Race 1901