The men's race was the final event of the day and completed a whitewash as Cambridge won, their second victory in three years, and taking the overall record to 83–80 in their favour.

[1] First held in 1829, the race takes place on the 4.2-mile (6.8 km) Championship Course, between Putney and Mortlake on the River Thames in south-west London.

[9] There is no monetary award for winning the race, as the journalist Roger Alton notes: "It's the last great amateur event: seven months of pain for no prize money".

To that end, Katherine Erickson, President of Oxford University Women's Boat Club (OUWBC), challenged Daphne Martschenko, her Cambridge counterpart.

[11] The men's race was umpired by the former Light Blue rower John Garrett who represented Great Britain at the 1984, 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics.

[31] Cambridge's women's trial took place on the Championship Course on 5 December, between the Harry Potter-themed boats Expecto Patronum and Wingardium Leviosa.

Level once again as the crews passed Harrods Furniture Depository, Expecto Patronum made a push at Hammersmith Bridge, handling the rough conditions better than their opponents.

Goblins, starting from the Surrey station, took an early lead which they held until Goons drew level, and then began to pull away, as the crews passed below Hammersmith Bridge.

Despite each crew making a series of pushes, Goblins held a half-length lead under Barnes Bridge and maintained the advantage to the finish line.

Strong, starting from the Middlesex station, took an early lead and held a half-length advantage by the time the crews passed Craven Cottage.

Garrett repeatedly warned both crews as they each infringed the racing line, and Strong capitalised on the advantage of the bend to be almost a length ahead.

Strong reacted to pull half a length ahead by Chiswick Eyot, extending to clear water by the Bandstand, and a final push at Barnes Bridge ensured them a two-length victory.

[37] CUWBC faced a crew from University of London Boat Club (ULBC) in two races on the Tideway umpired by Judith Packer on 17 February 2018.

Despite a strong start from OBUBC in the first segment, OUWBC held a lead of around a length by Craven Cottage and continued to pull away to a three-length victory at Chiswick Eyot.

[39] On 4 March 2018, OUWBC took on a crew from Molesey Boat Club in a race along a section of the Championship Course from the start to Chiswick Steps, umpired by Sarah Winckless.

The final section of the race from Chiswick Eyot to the finish line, saw further oar clashes, but Cambridge controlled the situation, winning by more than two lengths.

OUBC coped with the conditions well and were just ahead by Hammersmith Bridge but Oxford Brookes took advantage of the stream to win by a length as the crews passed St Paul's School.

[43] On 3 March 2018, OUBC faced a ULBC crew along a section of the Championship Course from the start line to Chiswick Steps, in a race umpired by Richard Phelps.

Starting from the Middlesex station, the Dark Blues took an early lead and held a length's advantage by the time the crews passed Harrods.

In an early attempt to claim the racing line, OUBC moved into ULBC's water and both crews were warned by Clegg to return to their station.

[46] The Dark Blues featured one returning crew member, number four Alice Roberts, who rowed in the unsuccessful 2017 Oxford boat.

[47] On 20 March 2018, it was announced that as a result of illness, number six Joshua Bugajski would withdraw from the race and be replaced by Isis rower Benedict Aldous.

[54] Claas Mertens, the Oxford bow man, won gold at the 2015 World Rowing Championships with the German lightweight men's eight.

Goldie were clear of Isis by Barnes Bridge with a seven-second lead, and maintained that advantage as they crossed the finish line in a time of 18 minutes 12 seconds.

Cambridge received several warnings from the umpire John Garrett for encroaching into Oxford's water, forcing them to move back towards their station, but were still over a length ahead by Craven Cottage.

[5] CUWBC's cox Sophie Shapter said "We just knew we had to go out there and do a job" while OUWBC's president Katherine Erickson explained that she was proud of her crew, many of whom had learnt to row at Oxford.

[62] In CUBC's Steve Trapmore's final Boat Race before moving to Team GB Olympic Rowing as a high performance coach, he admitted that "the boys really stepped up and delivered".

[67] As the men's senior crews passed below Hammersmith Bridge, a banner was unfurled by the Cambridge Zero Carbon Society and smoke flares were let off, to protest against investment in fossil fuel companies by the two universities.