There are many towns in Spain with fiestas that involve bullfights and permit individuals to run with bulls. However, not every town in Spain is featured in one of the most famous novels written by one of the world’s most famous authors. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway has remained popular for almost 100 years and has made the Fiesta de San Fermin into a world famous event.
While the following recommendations hold true for any run with bulls, it is specifically meant to address the running in Pamplona during the Fiesta de San Fermin. This is not a complete list. These notes by themselves will not prepare you as well as a guide will in Pamplona. In order to minimize the inherently dangerous activity, you must find a guide. I met with Francisco Glaria of Pamplona Fiesta (More on guides later) and would recommend meeting with him prior to running.
- Basic information about the run
So you’ve decided to travel to Pamplona, Spain, to run with the bulls. You should know that the running of the bulls occurs every morning of the Fiesta starting on July 7th. There are a few very important things to consider before actually running with the bulls at the Fiesta de San Fermin, and these could minimize the massive risks and maybe save your life.
The bulls that are running are 1,300 pounds or around 600 kilograms. They are very fast and can do the half mile course in just over 2 minutes.
At night, the bulls that ran in the morning will enter the bullring against the matadors. What may seem obvious but should be mentioned is that these bulls are bred to kill people and when they are released from the pen at the start of the run they are likely seeing a human on two legs for the first time.
- Understand the risks
This is the most important thing to keep in mind. You must understand the risks of running with the bulls. The size and speed of the bulls can lead to very serious consequences if they run into you. Everyday people are hit and some are very seriously injured. People have died running with the bulls. Really ask yourself if you want to assume these risks.
There is no safe place on the course. Every segment has its own risks, challenges, and threats of danger. If you are on the course at any point in time you should assume that you are in danger, either from the bulls directly or other people on the course.
- Get a guide on how to run
If you understand the risks and decide you want to run anyways, I strongly recommend you get a guide to show you how to do it to minimize the dangers. If you understand the risks and want to minimize the ever-present danger, then getting a guide with extensive experience is a must.
Francisco Glaria of Pamplona Fiesta showed me how to run on July 5th, two days before I ran on July 7th. He is a great guy with a wealth of knowledge about how to run and the Fiesta de San Fermin in general. He gave specific recommendations for me based on my abilities. You can get a guide with his company here.
Getting a guide is a very easy way to reduce the danger on the course.
- Watch videos of previous runs
By watching videos you will have a better understanding of what you are getting yourself into. I’ve included some videos below and many of the youtube channels have years of runs in the library. I would recommend watching as many as possible.
Below is a great resource by an American who has run many times and also offers a guide service. He also offers a guiding opportunity to a group of people. I have not taken it but it has good reviews and might be a good fit for you.
- Make observations from the videos
There are a lot of resources online showing previous runs and you can get a lot of information that may be helpful before you run.
You can pick up on the pace of the bulls.
If you decide to run, you really won’t understand how big the bulls are, how fast they are, and the danger they bring until you are within a few yards/meters of them. If this is the first time you are respecting the danger, it’s already too late. See recommendation 1. But by watching clips you can see how long the bulls take to run each stretch. You will likely notice the beginning features the bulls running significantly faster than the people. At the long straightaway, you’ll likely notice that the bulls have slowed their pace and it is easier for people to run in front of the bulls for longer.
You can pick up on the most common route the bulls take.
Do not treat previous videos as gospel but as a starting point of what to expect. There are common paths bulls take during the run but some days a few bulls may break away from the pack and take their own path. For example, going into La Curva, you’ll likely notice the bulls take an outside line into the corner because they have just run downhill, the corner is sharp and comes fast, and the bulls aren’t able to turn fast enough. However, occasionally bulls will take the inside of the corner. Many people think they are safe on the inside of the corner but if a bull takes an inside line, they will find out very quickly that they are not.
- Dangers to take note of
Isolated bulls are dangerous.
Bulls are pack animals. When a bull is separated and by itself, it will start to make a territory for itself. It does this by attacking people with its horns. Many videos will show people seriously hurt when a bull is by itself. If a bull is by itself, I would recommend getting away from it as fast as possible.
Pile-ups are huge problems.
It is readily apparent that many people are hit by bulls when they get caught in a pile-up of people. A person may believe if they hide in a door frame that they are safe. I’ve seen many clips of people in door frames who were hit by a bull, showing that there is no safe spot on the course. But when one person is already in a door frame and someone else tries to join them, the second person often sticks out into the course. A third person running from the bull can hit the second person, causing a pile-up that additional people may run into.
The end of the course is exceptionally dangerous.
You’ll likely see that many people are injured near the end of the course, which also serves as the entrance to the bullring. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, the bulls are more spaced out and it can be difficult to see where the bulls are. Second, the course goes from relatively wide and suddenly becomes narrow at the entrance to the bullring. The quick narrowing of the course leads to a bottleneck. The quick bottleneck can result in people running into each other, falling, and creating pile-ups. On other parts of the course, the bull may have some room to avoid a pile-up. However, at the end, the only option for a bull to continue its run into the ring is through the pile.
Conclusion
I hope these pointers will give you adequate information on whether you want to run with the bulls and some basic information on how you can best prepare yourself for the run. Remember, this is an inherently dangerous activity that is unpredictable, there is no safe spot on the course, and no matter the preparation or skill, one is still at risk of harm. Having said that, running is a thrill, a rush, an experience I have found is difficult to find anywhere else. As the news commentators say “Buena suerte a todos.”
