Simply the craziest and most adrenaline-filled run in this world. As part of the annual San Fermin festival, runners from around Spain and the world risk their lives by being chased by twelve angry bulls. Run too slowly or annoy the bulls too much, and you may be one of those killed in this event or the countless others who have been gored by the bulls. Make it to the bullring, and you’ll be a legend.
Verdict: Forget about marathons, this is the run of your life. Most definitely a bucket list item. Don’t miss the partying either.
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To be honest, when I decided to do this with a couple of friends, I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve learnt that at least 15 have been killed in this run, and seen horrific pictures of runners being gored. Our families thought we were nuts. The girlfriends were unhappy that they weren’t consulted. At the same time, after spending numerous hours on various websites and watching Youtube videos of the run, I felt a little more confident that we wouldn’t die as long as we stayed on the side of the streets.
We arrived Pamplona one day before the festival. Too bad we were already hungover when we arrived and couldn’t physically party more. It was one of the wildest open-air parties I’ve seen. Everyone was dressed in red and white, drinking and people pouring Sangria over each other, buckets of water were poured from the building balconies onto the streets, booming music, lot of dancing. There was also a woman who went bra-less and let other men standing around her squeeze her tits. As you can imagine, the whole Pamplona became a filthy and trashy but fun place.
That evening we did some preparation by buying the traditional San Fermin costumes and mapping out our run. The full route is around 875 metres from the hill of Santo Domingo to the Bullfighting ring. There were two runner entrances, one at the top of the hill (i.e. the starting point) and one at Constitutional Plaza (i.e. the midway point). Only those who started at the Constitutional Plaza had a chance to run all the way to the bullring (i.e. the end point). Let’s face it, you’re never gong to outrun the bulls. You’ll only get to run alongside them for a couple of seconds at most. The key was to avoid being close to the bulls at one of the turns (aptly named Dead Man’s Corner) as this was the most dangerous spot because the bulls would spread wide. A map of the run can be found here.
We ultimately decided to begin our run at Constitutional Plaza, which the locals considered to be the safer starting point. Although I thought I was well prepared, I was still terribly nervous before the run. Next to us, we noticed there were some rowdy and drunks Australians. If someone was getting killed, it was probably them. As the clock ticked closer, a group of men holding rolled up newspapers shuffled to the middle of the road. Apparently, these are veteran runners who purposely try to provoke the bulls by hitting them with the rolled up newspapers. Maybe there were the ones getting killed.
The run ended up an anti-climax. We were too cowardly and literally glued ourselves to the side. We let the bulls run go past us before we started running. When we reached the end point, there was a giant TV which displayed highlights of the run. One brave Korean man running in front of the bulls was within centimeters from being gored in the eye.
Having survived the first run, we thought we decided to go again the next day. This time, more aggressively than before, running alongside the bulls. Our aim this time was to get into the bullring and land a good photograph by the professional local photographers positioned in the various balconies.
The second run ended up to be completely different. Unlike the first run, some bulls accidentally tripped over and went beserk, separating from the main pack of bulls. These angry bulls started running in all directions and charging at people. As I was running towards Dead Man’s Corner beside the bulls, one of these angry bulls turned sideways to the runners instead of going straight.
One of them suddenly turned backwards and cornered me and a few other runners (see picture). My brain froze for a second as fear filled me. Is the angry bull going to charge towards me? Should I try to stay still, dodge left, or dodge right? This was a split second decision. As the bull closed upon my direction, I gambled and dived left. Fortunately, someone next to me was more impulsive and made the first move. As he ran towards the right, he caught the bull’s attention, which promptly followed the runner and knocked him over. At that point, after the near shave, I just wasn’t interested in running anymore and left at the nearest escape.
One of my other friends was less fortunate. Due to the panic within the runners, people started falling over. My friend tripped over one of the fallen runners and slammed his head into one of the buildings. He eventually needed treatment along with a good number of other runners on the day. From post run news reports, this was reported to be one of the most dangerous races in recent years.
What makes this run so adrenaline-filling and challenging is its unpredictability and variety. You can choose to let the bulls go past you before you run (but then the whole thing is pointless). Alternatively, you can also choose to be a daredevil and run more aggressively in front of the bulls. On some days, the run may be quick and clean. On other days, bulls may go berserk, and runners may act unreasonably and push you towards the bulls to protect themselves, streets may be wet or you may accidentally slip.
By the way, you aren’t allowed to take selfies with your phone during the run or bring you Go Pro (unless you hide it well enough). In fact, its apparently an offence to do so. To get a good picture, you can stroll around the photography shops in Pamplona and get an idea of the key locations that will get photographed (such as Gutierrez). You can then time your runs accordingly.
Additional information
| When to do it? | San Fermin takes place from 6 July to 14 July every year. The first run starts on 7 July and goes on everyday untl 14 July. |
| How to book? | There is no need to book. You just need to turn up on the day, preferably more than half an hour before the run to ensure a good starting position. |
| How much does it cost? | The run is free. However, accommodation in Pamplona can be very pricy during the San Fermin festival. |
| How to get there?
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If you are staying in Pamplona city center, Constitutional Plaza is within walking distance. |
| How long does it take? | The run starts at 8am and takes 10-15 minutes from Constitutional Plaza. |
| Is it safe? | N/A |
| What to wear? | The San Fermin costume can be purchased in Pamplona. |
| Language | Spanish |