 The Boat Race is a side @-@ by @-@ side rowing competition between the University of Oxford ( sometimes referred to as the " Dark Blues " ) and the University of Cambridge ( sometimes referred to as the " Light Blues " ) . First held in 1829 , the race takes place on the 4 @.@ 2 @-@ mile ( 6 @.@ 8 km ) Championship Course on the River Thames in southwest London . The rivalry is a " hotly contested point of honour " between the two universities , followed throughout the United Kingdom , and broadcast on several international television networks . Oxford went into the race as reigning champions , having won the 1991 race by four @-@ and @-@ a @-@ quarter lengths , with Cambridge leading overall with 69 victories to Oxford 's 67 ( excluding the " dead heat " of 1877 ) . 
