The Long Row Home

<p>From a summer wager in 1829 to the global spectacle of the 2020s the Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race has charted the evolution of Britain's universities society and sporting ambition. The Long Row Home tells the story of this enduring rivalry-how it has survived wars pandemics and sweeping social change without losing the fierce intimacy of the contest. Drawing on generations of oarsmen and oarswomen legendary coaches dramatic dead heats and the changing face of the Thames itself the book chronicles not only a history of winners and losers but a living tradition. Along the way it explores the race's role as both mirror and motor of British life tracing how innovations in engineering gender equality global recruitment and environmental stewardship have reshaped the event. </p><p></p><p>From iconic photo finishes to pandemic-era exile and from wooden shells to carbon-fibre masterpieces The Long Row Home captures the drama resilience and timeless appeal of an institution that has always found its way back to the water-rowing home together into each new era.</p>