Is It Dangerous?
Yes that is one of the questions that we get asked more than any
other. And the simple answer… Yes it fucking is! You are going to risk life and
limb in the street with thousands of other big strong frightened individuals and
a herd of huge animals with the power to rip you apart. Take it from me it is
no walk in the park. You need to have serious bottle to get into the street in
the first place and then comes the difficult bit, holding your nerve and
sticking to the game plan as hundreds of other people panic around you and set
off too early.
Hence to try and help overcome these problems I have prepared some
materials below to give people a good idea about what it is all about. The
first article comes from this year’s No Bullshit Pamplona Fanzine produced as
usual by the Pamplona Posse.
The ABC’ s
of Running with the Bulls in
By Jack Barrett
This article is not intended to be all inclusive, but is based on
fourteen years of experience running with the bulls, as well as tips and advice
from some great runners of all nationalities.
As a good reference, I would recommend the excellent book by Jim
Hollander, “Run To The Sun”. It is available at
amazon.com, or at most book stores in
A) THE BASICS
The Running of the
Bulls is part of the Fiesta San Fermin, which takes
place on the 6th to the 14th of July.
The Spanish name for the Running of the Bulls is el encierro,
(enclosure). There is an encierro on each day, from the 7th to the 14th. It begins promptly at 8:00am. In order to run, you must be on the course no
later than 7:00am., and even earlier on weekends when
it is very crowded. There are some do’s and don’ts. The
most important do is if you fall down, cover your head and stay down until someone
tells you it is safe to get up. In 1995,
a young American failed to follow this instruction, and paid the ultimate
price. Among the don’ts are bringing
backpacks, cameras, purses, and anything else that could cause a problem for
you or other runners. Do not touch the bulls, or run directly behind them,
doing this could cause them to turn around. Do not run if you are not fit, or
are under the influence. If this is your
first time, it would be better if you “stood” the bulls, standing on the side
of the course to get a feel for how fast the animals can run. There is no safe place on the course, just
places that are less dangerous than others.
What to wear? The standard
outfit for San Fermin is a white shirt and pants,
with a red scarf (pañuelo), and a red sash (faja). For the run,
however, I would recommend leaving the pañuelo, faja, belt, or anything else that some one or some thing
could get hold of, at home. A sleeveless
shirt would work as well. In Jim’s book
there is a wonderful picture of a runner being carried up the street on the
horns of a bull by his faja, head bouncing off the
cobblestones with each stride. If you
feel you must wear the pañuelo and faja, at least tie them with a slip knot that will come
loose if caught. A very good pair of
running shoes, tightly tied is also a must.
B) THE COURSE.
The course is about
850 meters long, and is mostly uphill. (For the metrically challenged, a meter
is a little longer than a yard). There
are two hard turns, one to the left, and one to the right. As an indication as to how fast the animals
can run, the current Olympic record on a flat track for 800 meters is 1 minute,
42.6 seconds. The bulls have run the 850
meters on cobblestone streets, uphill, in under 2 minutes. The course is divided into six areas,
C) THE PLAYERS
Bulls (Toros)
There are six bulls
that will be released in the encierro. They are at least four years old, and range
in color from black, the most common, to black and
white, grey, and some times red. They range in weight from about 500 kilos,
(1100 lbs) to over 600 kilos, (1300 lbs).
A picture of the bulls in the days run can be found in
the morning papers. It is a good
idea to familiarize your self with them before the run. The bulls get to run the course only once,
as they will be fought and killed in the bull fight (corrida)
in the evening.
Steers (Cabestros)
Six to eight steers
are released with the bulls to give a semblance of a herd, and to guide the
bulls over the course. The bulls have no
clue what is going on, but it seems like fun.
The steers are larger than the bulls, and usually have a bell around
their neck. They are mostly cream colored with black or dark brown spots. The steers will not normally try to gore you,
but they will run you over if you are in their way. About two or three minutes after the first animals
are released, another four steers are released to sweep up any bull(s) that
have become separated from the herd. If
you are walking up or down the street after the bulls have passed, be aware
that the sweeps are coming. If you are
still not sure about the difference between a bull and a steer, I would refer
you to a Webster’s Dictionary for a more complete description.
Vaquitas
These are young
cows, females that are released into the bull ring after the bulls are safely
in their corrals. More
about them later.
Pastores
Pastores
are teams of two or three men whose job it is to keep the bulls running in the
direction of the Plaza de Toros. They have lately been wearing green tee
shirts with the word “PASTORE” on the back.
They carry 5 ft. long sticks which they will not hesitate to use on you
if they think you are doing something that would cause a bull to turn around,
like touching it, for instance. The pastores play a critical role when a bull gets separated
from the herd. This is known as a suelto. If a suelto should occur near you, do not try to be a hero or a
clown, let the pastores handle the situation, which
is what they are being paid to do.
Police
The police are
there to control the crowd, and to remove from the course anyone who has no
business being there, such as drunks, backpackers, etc. They form a line at the bottom of
Red Cross (Voluntarios de Cruz Roja)
These are men and
women who are trained in giving basic first aid to runners who are injured
during the encierro.
They are stationed at various locations on the course, usually where
there is room to form a double barricade.
If you have time before the run, it is a good idea to locate the one
nearest your position; you may have to help bring an injured runner to
them.
Dobladores
The dobladores are men with good bullfighting knowledge
(sometimes ex-bullfighters) who take up position in the bullring with capes to
help the runners ‘fan out’ (in other words, run to the sides after they enter
the bullring), and ‘drag’ the bulls towards the corral as quickly as
possible. Do nothing to impede their
work. In 2007, one fool carrying a large camera bag collided with a dobladore right in front of a bull, almost getting both of
them killed. He was fined 6,000 euros for that stunt.
D) THE RUN
As mentioned above,
the run begins at 8:00am, with the firing of two rockets. The first rocket goes off when the gates to
the corral are opened, and the second goes off when the last bull leaves the
corral. If there is a long period
between the rockets, say 30 seconds or more, it probably means that a bull was
late getting out of the corral, and may have become separated from the herd. If this occurs, discretion being the better
part of valor, if you can safely get off the course
without interfering with the police or Red Cross, now would be a good time to
do it. The run ends at the Plaza de Toros with the firing of another two rockets. The first rocket goes off when the first
bulls enter the ring, and the second when all of the bulls are safely in the
corral. Even if the bulls have passed
you, listen for the second rocket before you start wondering around on the
street, you may get an unpleasant surprise.
In the famous words of Yogi Berra, “It ain’t
over till it’s over”.
(Note: all
reference directions except the suicide run are in the direction of the Plaza
de Toros.)
Of all the places
on the course,
The Suicide Run
In earlier, less
crowded years, the runners at the bottom of
As mentioned above,
this is no place for beginners or sensitive hearts. Excluding the Suicide, the run begins at the
bottom of
Ayuntamiento
(aka City Hall or Plaza Consistorial)
This run starts at
the top of
Mercaderes
This run starts as
the herd makes a left turn onto Mercaderes, and ends
after the herd has made the hard right turn at La Curva. The first problem here is that you are
running right into the sun, thus the title of Jim’s book. I don’t know what effect it has on the
animals, but it will definitely have an effect on you. You are suddenly blinded, and slightly
disoriented. This is also a place where
a suelto may occur, as the bulls negotiate the hard
left turn. There are walls and doorways
on the left, and a barricade on the right.
The bulls are only slightly slower here, so your run will be a quick
one. At the end of the street is La Curva, a wall which forces the herd to make a sharp right
hand turn. You do not want to be
standing in front of this wall. Lately,
most of the bulls have made it around the curve without falling, but when they
do, even some photographers on top of the wall have been hurt. If you are standing there, and a bull falls,
you are toast. Some runners wait on the
left side of the street just at the start of the curve, hoping to find a space
in between the six bulls to jump into.
They will start to run as soon as they see the herd make the turn onto Mercaderes, and hope for the best.
Estafeta
Estafeta
is a long street, about 300 meters, uphill.
There are boarded up store fronts and doorways along both the right and
left side. Some years ago, the sidewalks
were removed with good and not so good results.
Runners on the lower half of Estafeta are
usually waiting for an opportunity to get into the herd after they slow down
for La Curva.
The herd usually, but not always hugs the left side of the street, so if
you are standing on that side, be prepared to have the horns come very close to
your gut. As you get almost to the top
of Estafeta, you will see the really great runners,
David and Julen to name two, sort of come out of the
wood work, and magically appear right on the horns of the lead bull. By the time the bulls get up here, they are
usually moving at a speed by which a very good runner can stay in front of the
horns all the way into the Plaza de Toros. If you waiting to run on the upper half of Estafeta, unless you are seven feet tall, you will not be
able to see the bulls until they are almost on top of you. You can listen for the bells on the steers,
but the steers might not be leading the herd.
One tip I’ve learned is to watch the people on the balconies taking
pictures. They are most likely taking
pictures of the lead bull, so by watching the angle of their cameras, you can
get a good idea where it is at. Don’t
feel bad if you do not get out with the herd.
This takes a lot of skill, and a little luck.
Telefonica
and the Callejon
At the top of Estafeta, the course widens out, and is flanked by
barricades on both sides of the street.
This is the area called Telefonica. If you are planning to run into the Plaza de Toros with the bulls, this is the place to start from. The bulls are probably moving as slow as they
are ever going to go, although this is still very fast. There are however, great opportunities for a suelto up here, and when you read the statistics from the
previous run, Telefonica usually wins the prize for
the most number of runners patched up by the Red Cross, or taken to the
hospital. The run starts at the very top
of Estafeta, and continues through the very narrow
tunnel, (3.6 meters wide), under the bull ring called the Callejon. The Callejon is
where most of the trouble starts as you try to get 6 bulls, 8 steers and about
100 runners through a very narrow passage into the Plaza de Toros. If you look at some photos of runs in the
past, you will see some epic pileups called a Monton,
in the Callejon.
You do not want to be part of these.
The run through the Callejon is slightly down
hill, and at the entrance to the Plaza de Toros you
transition from concrete to sand. This
contributes to runners falling and creating a Monton
right at the entrance to the Plaza de Toros. Be aware of this.
Plaza de Toros
Once you enter the Plaza de Toros, the
run is over and it is time to get out.
You will meet the dobladores who are trying to
lure the bulls into the corral by dragging their capes over the ground in front
of the bulls. Do nothing that would
interfere with them, you are not a torero, so don’t try to be one. Turn right or left and get behind the
barriers as fast as you can. After the
bulls are safely in their corrals, the officials release two or three vaquitas into the ring.
They are young females, and are absolutely adorable with big brown
eyes. They do, however, weight about as
much as a NFL defensive tackle, and can run twice as fast. They are also very efficient in using their
horns. In 2005 a young American was hit by one, and is just now learning how to
walk again. I recommend leaving them
alone. But, if you feel you would enjoy
being clocked by a NFL tackle running at top speed, by all means go out and
play with the vaquitas. Otherwise, get out of the Plaza and head for
the Bar Txoko for the “Breakfast of Champions”, (Kaiku Vanil con cognac). Suerte!