The Championship Course is a stretch of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

between

Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes. For many c ...

and

Putney Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient pa ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

. It is a well-established course for rowing races, particularly the Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race. The course is on the tidal reaches of the river often referred to as the

Tideway The Tideway is a part of the River Thames in England which is subject to tides. This stretch of water is downstream from Teddington Lock. The Tideway comprises the upper Thames Estuary including the Pool of London. Tidal activity Depending on ...

. Due to the iconic shape of the Championship Course, in orthopaedic surgery, an "S" shaped incision along the crease of the elbow is commonly referred to as "a boat-race incision resembling the River Thames from Putney to Mortlake."

History

In 1845, it was agreed to stage the Boat Race (which had on five previous occasions been rowed from

Westminster Bridge Westminster Bridge is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side. The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the H ...

to Putney) on a course from 'Putney Bridge to

Mortlake Church Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes. For many ce ...

tower'. The aim was to reduce the interference from heavy river traffic. The following year, a race for the Professional World Sculling Championship moved to the course for the first time. The Wingfield Sculls followed in 1861. The course was later defined by two stones on the southern bank of the river, marked "U.B.R." for University Boat Race: one just downstream of

Chiswick Bridge Chiswick Bridge is a reinforced concrete deck arch bridge over the River Thames in West London. It is one of three bridges opened in 1933 as part of an ambitious scheme to relieve traffic congestion west of London. The structure carries the A ...

, close to The Ship public house, and the other just upstream of Putney Bridge. The course distance is 4

mile The mile, sometimes the international mile or statute mile to distinguish it from other miles, is a British imperial unit and United States customary unit of distance; both are based on the older English unit of length equal to 5,280 Engli ...

s and 374

yard The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly 0 ...

s (6,779 m), as measured along the centre of the river's stream. Races are always rowed in the same direction as the tide: from

on an ebb tide or from Putney to Mortlake on a flood tide. Since the Boat Race moved to this course in 1845, it has always been raced on a flood tide from Putney to Mortlake except in 1846, 1856 and 1863. The Wingfield Sculls is also raced from Putney to Mortlake. Most other events race on an ebb tide from Mortlake to Putney. In April 1869, the

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

Boat Club challenged the Oxford University Boat Club to an "International University Boat-Race" of coxed fours on the Boat Race course. The race took place on 27 August 1869 and was narrowly won by Oxford. The new Atlantic cable allowed daily reports to be received by all major newspapers across America within 23 minutes of the finish. U.S. public interest in the event was huge, with more publicity than any sporting event to date, and within two years of the event the "newly awakened interest in rowing at many of the most noted seats of learning" doubled the number of boat clubs in the US, and led to the formation of the Rowing Association of American Colleges.

Landmarks

Principal landmarks, often used when racing, include (in order from

Events

* Boustead Cup (February/March) * Women's Eights Head of the River Race (March) * Schools' Head of the River Race (March) *

Head of the River Race The Head of the River Race (HORR) is an against-the-clock ('processional') rowing race held annually on the River Thames in London, England between eights, other such races being the Schools' Head of the River Race, Women's Head of the River Rac ...

(March/April) * Veterans Head (March) *The Boat Races – The Boat Race, Women's Boat Race and The Lightweight Boat Races (March/April) * Wingfield Sculls (October/November) *

Pairs Head of the River (rowed as far as Harrods) Concentration, also known as Memory, Shinkei-suijaku (Japanese meaning "nervous breakdown"), Matching Pairs, Match Match, Match Up, Pelmanism, Pexeso or simply Pairs, is a card game in which all of the cards are laid face down on a surface and t ...

(October) * Head of the River Fours (November) *

Veteran Fours Head of the River A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular job, occupation or Craft, field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military vete ...

(November) * Scullers Head (November/December)

Rowing clubs along the course

* Tideway Scullers School * Thames Tradesmen's Rowing Club * Emanuel School Boat Club * Cygnet Rowing Club * Barnes Bridge Ladies Rowing Club * Sons of the Thames Rowing Club *

Latymer Upper School Boat Club Latymer Upper School Boat Club is a rowing club on the River Thames, based at 40A Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London. History The club belongs to Latymer Upper School. The club won the prestigious Diamond Jubilee Challenge Cup at the Henley Regat ...

* Furnivall Sculling Club * St Pauls School Boat Club * Auriol Kensington Rowing Club *

Nautilus Rowing Club The nautilus (, ) is a pelagic marine mollusc of the cephalopod family Nautilidae. The nautilus is the sole extant family of the superfamily Nautilaceae and of its smaller but near equal suborder, Nautilina. It comprises six living species in t ...

(British Rowing headquarters) * Fulham Reach Rowing Club *

Barn Elms Rowing Club Barn Elms Rowing Club is a Rowing (sport), rowing club in the east extreme of Barnes, London, close to Putney. The boathouse is located between Putney Bridge, Putney and Hammersmith Bridges, forming part of the larger Barn Elms Sports Centre. O ...

* Parr’s Priory Rowing Club * Imperial College Boat Club *

Thames Rowing Club The Thames Rowing Club (TRC) is a rowing club based on the tidal Thames as it flows through the western suburbs of London. The TRC clubhouse stands on Putney Embankment. The club was founded in 1860. As at July 2022, Thames had won events at H ...

* Vesta Rowing Club *

Crabtree Boat Club Crabtree may refer to: People * Crabtree (surname) Places * Crabtree, California * Crabtree, North Carolina, an unincorporated community in Haywood County, United States * Crabtree, Oregon * Crabtree, Pennsylvania * Crabtree, Plymouth, a suburb ...

King's College School Boat Club King's College School Boat Club is the rowing club of King's College School, Wimbledon, London, England. History The club's boat house is based on the towpath in Putney, south-west London, on the River Thames. It was previously owned by Barcl ...

Dulwich College Boat Club Dulwich (; ) is an area in south London, England. The settlement is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark, with parts in the London Borough of Lambeth, and consists of Dulwich Village, East Dulwich, West Dulwich, and the Southwark half of ...

* Westminster School Boat Club *

HSBC Rowing Club HSBC Rowing Club is a rowing club based on the Tideway of the River Thames in Putney, London, England. As with the bank, it succeeds Midland Bank and therefore Midland Bank Rowing Club, which was founded in 1878.''West London Observer'', "Inter-b ...

* London Rowing Club *

Putney High School Boat Club Putney () is a district of southwest London, England, in the London Borough of Wandsworth, southwest of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. History Putney is an ancient par ...

* The London Oratory School Boat Club

References

External links

The Port of London Rowing Chart
includes a map of the course showing detailed rules for rowers, the deep water channel, local rowing clubs and other landmarks. {{DEFAULTSORT:Championship Course, The The Boat Race Mortlake, London Rowing on the River Thames Rowing venues in the United Kingdom Sports venues in London