Big Adventures, Little World

Since deciding to go to the San Fermin festival, I had been contemplating whether or not to actually participate in the Running of the Bulls. When it all came down to it though, I think it is one of those things that you just have to do while you are there. It’s not something that just anyone gets to do in their lifetime so on the morning of the first run, I bit the bullet and went out to join the crowd of thousands to run with the bulls!

The Running of the Bulls is a small part of the San Fermin festival and is believed to have originated for the purpose of transporting the bulls from outside the city to the arena for the bull fights at night. It would usually happen early morning and as people were going home from the previous nights celebrations they thought it would be a grand idea to run along with these bulls. Each year more and more people started to participate in it and it became a tradition and part of the festival.

We were up bright and early to get into Pamplona so we had enough chance to actually get into the bull run as once there is too many people in there, the local police will start moving people out of the run, and if you don’t move, they make you move by beating you with their batons until you are out of the way. I went off to the bull run while Elese and Sarah went to the arena at the end of the run where the bulls finish up and the bull fight takes place later in the night. I started around near the town hall which is where most people start from. Our tour guide had taken us on a walk through the course the day before and given us some tips on how best to do it, but given the amount of people around you, you tend to just go with the crowd, or else you’ll end up on the floor getting crushed by the crowd, and then probably the 6 bulls and 6 cows after that.

There was a lot of waiting around and the adrenaline started to get going a bit. More and more people crowded the street and police made their way through to remove people if there were too many people or if they were too drunk or were taking photos. They also stop letting people in, or out once inside the barriers. As it got closer to 8:00AM the tension and excitement got greater and greater until eventually the first cannon went off, signalling that the bulls had been released. It wasn’t long until the thundering of the hooves could be heard and the vibrations could be felt on the streets. The excitement and adrenaline went up tenfold. The crowd began to move as one. I found it hard and struggled just to keep my feet as everyone was pushing and trying to get moving, but I knew I had to keep my feet or else I would trampled. My heart was pounding by this point and I knew it wouldn’t be long before the bulls got to me. The crowd started to disperse slightly and I could begin to move along on my own. I knew I had to get around Dead Man’s Corner (a right angle turn where the bulls tend to slide and crash into the outer barrier). With so many people I could barely even get a slow jog going so I started to weave through people as much as possible, while trying to avoid the centre of the run as much as I could in case the bulls got there sooner than expected. As I got some speed going I kept glancing over my shoulder but also keeping my eyes forward as much as possible to avoid any obstacles (people) in front of me. I made it around Dead Man’s Corner, and I felt slightly better, but my heart started to pump faster. I knew that any second the bulls would be there. I kept running past Dead Man’s Corner keeping to the walls as much as possibly, and found a spot on the wall to push myself into away from the bulls. Within a few seconds the first of the bulls came thundering past, no more than 5 feet away from me. I started to count them as they went past. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. They seemed to all be staying in a group, which was good as they just ran and didn’t get distracted. 8, 9, 10, 11. One more left, or maybe I counted wrong. I thought I must have counted wrong as they were all together and going so fast, and if they were all together, the doors to the arena would be closed as the last one went inside and I wouldn’t get in to see the rest of the action. So I was off again after the bulls chasing after them as fast as I could, while still being wary that there might be another one out there. I kept trying to stay to the walls but everyone just seemed to be enjoying being alive and had no intention of getting into the arena. I had to run in the middle as no one really was there and gave me the best chance to go as fast as I could. I ran and ran and was sure I one point I ran over a pool of blood, but didn’t really have time to stop and make sure. Not only that though, I had to jump over a few people through the run, otherwise I would have ended up on the floor like them, and could have been gored, trampled, or both. I made it to the gates to the arena and there was a bit group of people waiting to go through and within about 20 seconds the crowd started moving as we all rushed into the arena.

You can see the entire run that I actually ran in the below video. I think it was around the 1.06 mark of the video when the bulls ran past me.

The Bull Ring

The arena was a whole other aspect of the show. As people came running in, angry baby bulls with corks on their horns were released into the arena and chased all the people around. I got out of there quickly and watched from behind the wall as people were picked up by the bulls and tossed around. The arena was nearly full of people trying to get close and touch the bulls and it was quite funny watching the entire crowd move as the bull moved.

After the last baby bull was let loose in the arena I started to make my way out and find my way back to the bus and also to let Elese know I was alive. I got back and found her, and I’m pretty sure her heart was pounding as much as mine had been. We got back on the bus and they told me their experience from it all and that the TV screen inside the arena was showing each of the bulls and their weights like a boxing fight with the biggest bull weighing 600kgs! I also found out there was indeed one more bull that was last into the arena which I had completely forgotten about by the time I had reached the arena gates. We spent the bus ride swapping stories with everyone else and it wasn’t until after we got back to the campsite when my heart rate had slowed back to normal, nearly two hours after the run finished!