What is a dead heat in The Boat Race, and has it happened before?

THE 170th edition of The Boat Race will take place along the River Thames on SUNDAY.

And while its long history has seen all sorts of weird and wonderful events – protesters, sinking boats, and even a couple of mutinies – some things have far less often than others.

Hulton Archive - Getty

An artist’s impression of the first Boat Race in 1829[/caption]

And that includes a dead heat.

What is a dead heat?

A dead heat is the result in a competition, such as a race, where two or more competitors finish on the exact same result.

Examples could include two horses crossing the finish line at the same time or two footballers finishing a season on the same tally of goals.

With the invention of more accurate time-keeping and advancing photographic technology, dead heats are no longer an issue in many sports, particularly horse racing and athletics.

Has there been a dead heat in The Boat Race?

There has only been ONE occasion that the race between Oxford and Cambridge has ended in a dead heat – and it is a race steeped in controversy.

The race in question was the 34th Boat Race, which took place on March 24, 1877.

It is a race that has become part of rowing – and British – folklore with Oxford confident they won the race but declared as a draw.

‘Honest’ John Phelps, acting as the finishing judge, declared the race a dead heat but was aged over 70 and was reportedly blind in one eye

Sunday Times

Cambridge won the men’s Boat Race in 2024[/caption]

Popular satire magazine of the time Punch ran the headline ‘Oxford won, Cambridge too’, the ‘Honest John’ moniker came into wider public use and Phelps became a figure of ridicule for the rest of his life.

There were unverified and unfounded reports that Phelps was drunk and ‘asleep under a bush’ – although these claims were refuted by historian Tim Koch.

The result even requiring a meeting in court to settle the dispute and the fallout resulted in the introduction of finishing posts, at Chiswick Bridge, and a revamped selection of umpires.

A former Blue has acted as umpire ever since, with the selection drawn up from a shortlist and alternating every year.

Oxford still counts the 1877 race as their victory.

Who has won The Boat Race the most times?

Even though Oxford and Cambridge have raced more than 150 times, there is a remarkably small disparity between the men’s crews.

The women’s race, which was first introduced in 1936 and has been an annual event since 1964, is a bit more one-sided.

Men’s:

• Cambridge: 87
• Oxford: 81
• Dead Heat: 1

Women’s:

• Cambridge: 48
• Oxford: 30