[1] The race was first held in 1829, and since 1845 has taken place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London.

[13] Our stroke was worth his weight i' gold,And well did Granta's sonsTake up the time they'd given themBy Goldie of St John's!

Oxford won the toss and elected to start from the Surrey station,[14] handing the Middlesex side of the river to Cambridge.

[10] Cambridge took an early lead even though their stroke rate was lower than that of the Dark Blues, and led by three-quarters of a length by the time the crews shot Hammersmith Bridge.

Oxford stayed in touch for the next 0.5 miles (0.8 km) but following a spurt, they almost levelled the race by Chiswick Eyot.