The race along the River Thames between England’s two greatest universities spans 195 years of rivalry and is now one of the world’s oldest and most famous amateur sporting events. Our photographer has been spending time with the Cambridge University Boat Club over the past few months as they prepare for 2024’s races

The idea of a Boat Race between the two universities dates back to 1829, sparked into life by a conversation between Old Harrovian schoolfriends Charles Merivale, a student at the time at St John’s College Cambridge, and Charles Wordsworth who was at Christ Church Oxford. On 12 March that year, following a meeting of the newly formed Cambridge University Boat Club, a letter was sent to Oxford.

The University of Cambridge hereby challenge the University of Oxford to row a match at or near London each in an eight-oar boat during the Easter vacation.

Rough water as the two women’s boats make their way along the River Thames near Putney Embankment during the Cambridge University Boat Race trials.

Double Olympic champion is ‘super-chilled’ despite juggling rowing with parenting as she eyes another medal in Paris

It’s 1pm on a Wednesday afternoon, and Helen Glover has just wrapped up training for the day. This is the one half-day in her working week, which runs from half-six on Monday morning till half-two on Saturday afternoon, but she still needs to pick up the kids at three, just as she does every school day, so these next couple of hours are the only ones she has to herself, or to do much of anything else. In the circumstances, I feel a little guilty about using them for this interview when she would, presumably, rather be having a quiet cup of tea or catching up on her sleep. Glover, 37, tells me she’s used to it.

It has been a year since Glover announced she was coming out of retirement , again, to compete at the Paris Olympics this summer. It’s all a little different this time. In 2012, 2016 and 2020 she was competing in the women’s pair, but in 2024 she will be the senior member of the women’s four. She says it has been refreshing working with a new crew and a new coach. They’re coming along well, and won silver at the European championships last May, and bronze at the world championships in September, although Glover admits they will need to “step-up again” if they’re going to win a medal at the Olympics this summer.

• Oxford’s rowing coach critical after high levels of E coli detected
• Race organisers have warned rowers against entering water

The University of Oxford’s rowing coach has called the pollution in the River Thames a “national disgrace” after high levels of E coli were found on the Boat Race course.

Sean Bowden, who has coached Oxford since 1997, also admitted that the health risks could also stop the tradition of the winning cox being thrown or jumping into the river.

• Bacteria discovered during regular testing by River Action
• Winning teams jumping in river could be consigned to history

Boat Race organisers have issued new safety guidance for the race on Saturday, warning rowers not to enter the water and to cover any open wounds, after high levels of E coli bacteria were found on the River Thames course.

It means the traditional celebration in which members of the winning team often jump into the river – which was seen last year when the Cambridge men’s cox Jasper Parish jumped into the Thames at Mortlake – could be consigned to history.

Near flooding of Henley-on-Thames building prompts decision to tell the story of climate crisis

From the reconstructed riverside of The Wind in the Willows to an historic Georgian rowboat used in the inaugural Oxford-Cambridge race, the exhibits at the River and Rowing Museum celebrate the importance of British rivers.

But the award-winning building in Henley-on-Thames – designed by the modernist architect David Chipperfield – is facing a significant threat from the very river beside which it resides.