The Boat Race

‘The Boat Race’ happens every year in London in the spring. The race is between two teams - from Oxford University and from Cambridge University. Each team has eight rowers and a ‘cox’ – the person who shouts instructions to the rowers and steers the boat. The rowers are usually big and strong (about 200 centimetres tall), but the cox is usually short and light so that the boat doesn’t have to carry much extra weight.

The teams spend months preparing for the race. They begin training in September. In December, they have practice races - but not between the universities. Teams from the same university compete against each other so they can choose the best rowers for the ‘big’ race in the spring.

The course is 6,779 metres from start to finish and usually takes around 20 minutes to complete the track. The race takes place along the river Thames, in West London. It is a very popular event. Every year, about 250.000 people come to watch the race, and about half a billion people around the world watch it on TV.