The course covers a 4.2 miles (6.8 km) stretch of the Thames in West London, from Putney to Mortlake.

[9] This was not solely a race in the years up to 1935, the two boats were not on the river together and were judged on both their speed and their "steadiness, finish, rhythm and other matters of style".

[6][19][20] Unlike the men's race, the women's continued in most years through the Second World War.

The first blues were awarded in 1941 when CUWBC raced against the Oxford University Women's Boat Club, which had been founded in 1926.

The number of women rowers increased as more colleges started to admit women and reserve boats from each university began racing in 1966, the year after the men's reserve boats began racing.

[24][25] The women's reserve boats were later named Osiris (Oxford) and Blondie (Cambridge).

[3] Oxford won the 2014 race on the Henley course having beaten Cambridge by a distance of four boat lengths over two kilometres.

[33] A newly designed trophy, to replace the existing wooden shield,[34] was awarded to the Oxford president by Olympic gold medallist Sophie Hosking who had won the Women's lightweight double sculls at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

[35][36] On 11 April 2015 the 70th women's race was held on The Championship Course on the same day as the traditional male event for the first time.

[37][38] The course covers a 4.2 miles (6.8 km) stretch of the Thames in West London, from Putney to Mortlake.

Cancer Research UK were gifted the title sponsorship rights by BNY Mellon and Newton Investment Management, an arrangement which continued for the following two years.

[42][43][44] The 2016 race, again receiving national television coverage, was won by Oxford while the Cambridge boat nearly sank in the rough conditions.

[10] Notes † – The events until 1935 were not run solely as races, but were also judged on style merit marks.

The crews were not allowed to be on the river at the same time so each eight rowed separately downstream and were judged on style.