The event included the Lightweight Men's Boat Race from 1975 to 2018, the Women's Boat Race from 1977 to 2014, the Lightweight Women's Boat Race from 1984 to 2019, and the Collegiate Boat Races from 2010 to 2019. Between 2015 and 2020, the openweight and lightweight Varsity races previously held at Henley were relocated to the Championship Course to match the openweight men's Boat Race, at which point the Collegiate Boat Races were scrapped.
The Henley Boat Races began as men's lightweight races in 1975 and enlarged to incorporate the Women's Boat Race and their reserve crew race from 1977 and the women's lightweight race from 1984.[5][6][7] In 2000, the lightweight men added a race for their reserve crews, Nephthys (Oxford) and Granta (Cambridge).[4] The races took place in 2001, at the Holme Pierrepont National Watersports Centre in Nottingham.[8] The lightweight men's race fell into abeyance after 2009 as a result of Cambridge not fielding a Granta crew from 2007, giving Oxford a row over for three years. From 2016, Nephthys and Granta raced again, sometimes on a different date or location to the main Henley Boat Races. A women's lightweight reserve race was held in 2012 prior to race day and took place from 2016 on race day.[9] The 2013 event was moved to Dorney Lake as a result of flooding on the Thames.[10][11]
In 2015, the Women's Boat Race moved further down the River Thames to the Tideway to take place as a combined men's and women's Boat Race.[12][13] The event was moved to Dorney Lake again in 2018 due to "adverse river conditions on the Thames at Henley" and the collegiate races were cancelled.[14][15] The Lightweight Men's Boat Race made the same move to the Tideway in 2019,[16] followed by the Lightweight Women's Boat Race in 2020, although the Lightweight Boat Races continue to operate separately to their openweight counterparts.
The races received annual press coverage,[17][18][19][11][20] and competitors from both Universities have gone on to compete at international and Olympic levels.[21][22][23][24]
Women's Intercollegiate Boat Race (between one college representing Oxford and one representing Cambridge)
An Alumnae race was typically held in later years. The lightweight races constituted the varsity race. The first crew received university half-blues, and was therefore more commonly known as the Lightweight Blue Boat. The reserve crew received university colours. The intercollegiate races were between the fastest crews from the Oxford Torpids and the Cambridge Lent Bumps; Oxford selection being done by time trial [27] and Cambridge giving right of first refusal to headship crews.[28]
Results
Henley Boat Races 2009: Oxford Women (dark blue) lead Cambridge Women
The history of the results of the races are as follows.[4][29]
The Women's Boat Race and its Reserve race became part of the Henley Boat Races in 1977. With the Women's Boat Race moving to the Tideway Championship Course and forming part of The Boat Races 2015, the race as well as the race of the reserve boats Osiris and Blondie ceased to be part of the Henley Boat Races.[13] For the full results tables, see the main article on the Women's Boat Race.
‡ – The course was shortened in 2007 due to rough water during the Henley Boat Races. It was reduced from 2000 m to less than 1500 m with the start between the Upper Thames Rowing Club and Old Blades.[30]
