There are many reasons people choose to travel. To discover new lands, to visit friends and family, to study a language, or to learn about art and history. And then there are just times when you travel to do something totally crazy and irrational with no purpose other than to experience LIFE!

On Tuesday night, about 17 likeminded travelers/friends/cohorts from the Nomad.ness Travel Tribe boarded a bus for a 6 hour trip from Madrid to Pamplona, Spain to run with the bulls as part of the annual San Fermin Festival.  About half of the group decided they were going to actually do the run, the other half decided to get a bird’s eye view of the event from the safety of a balcony overlooking the route.  For me, it was an easy decision…I didn’t hesitate for a second. I was RUNNING!

Although I’ve seen the videos of crazy people trying to run along side the bulls who catch a quick horn to the back or get trampled by bulls and people alike, I was for some strange reason not nervous at all.   I just figured the odds were in my favor. Of course you only ever hear of the people who are hurt.  There’s no mention of the thousands of people who run every year and come out unharmed and with an amazing experience under their belts. 

Our group gets ready to  run. Photo Credit: Antoine Kinch

It wasn’t until I began talking with others in my group that I realized many people had a true and palpable fear of doing the run.  Many backed out right away without even thinking about running, others wanted to but where visibly nervous about the whole thing.  There were long discussions about strategizing the run – where to go, how to exit, should you run in front of, beside or behind the bulls, what to do if you fall. I’m not kidding when I say that we spent HOURS discussing this topic, but still at the end of the day, I never really felt much fear.  That is definitely not to brag and say that I am an extremely brave she-woman.  Its is just to acknowledge that fear is a very strange thing. I can honestly say the level of fear I have about running into a evil cockroach in the street is far FAR higher than running with a pissed-off bull down an narrow alleyway. Rational? Nope!  Not at all.

Hmm…Maybe I should have been more nervous! Photo Credit: www.clubmoto1.com

Once I actually jumped off the bus in Pamplona and started running with my friends towards the starting point of the course that I started to hear those “what the hell am I doing” voices in my head.  I did start to feel a bit concerned at that point, but it was mixed with the excitement of being in Pamplona along with the energy of the pumped up crowds that got my heart racing.  So if anyone reading this is considering a run with the bulls, I say DO IT!  Don’t even think twice. It was an amazing experience and well worth it IF you play it smart (notice the IF).  

My main advice for first time runners is know your comfort level. For me, I knew I wanted to see  a bull, but by no means did I want to try and swat at the bull with a rolled up newspaper like many a Spaniard (or drunken foreigner) wants to do. If you’re like me, do your best to run to the end of the course, and wait just before the bulls come along the last straight away into the arena (hint, it will be milliseconds after you see hundreds of people sprinting towards you with the fear of God in their eyes). If you actually want to try and run next to the bull sprint a bit ahead when they let you begin running, get your rolled up newspaper ready and wait along the wall. if you want a guaranteed trip to the Pamplona hospital, wait at the appropriately named “Dead Man’s Corner” on the outside corner. Ambulance ride pretty much guaranteed.

Can you spot me in the crowd? Photo Credit: Antoine Kinch

So here’s a quick summary of how the run goes.

1. Pick out your race outfit: White shirt, white pants, red handkerchief, red sash and a good pair of running shoes.

2. Pick your way through the drunken hordes of party goers who have been drinking since the previous afternoon to arrive on the race course. Best to get there by 7:00 am. 

3. Get psyched up as the crowd gathers, claps, shares stories and sings (the White Stripes “Seven Nation Army” is a crowd favorite).

4. Eventually the police will begin to push everyone back towards the start of the run course. If you’re not in the correct part of the course, they will kick you out of the race.

5. Watch for the mayor to walk through the crowd flanked by police officers. When you see him, the race is about to begin (around 8:00 am).

6. Listen for the first cannon blast to go off, this signals that the crowd can begin running towards the arena where the bulls will end up.  You won’t get very far though, as there will be two more police barriers to keep you from getting too far ahead.

7. The second cannon shot signals the bulls are out, so get ready and decide what you’re going to do. Will you sprint to the end to avoid the stampedes?  Wait along the route to see the bulls pass? Cry like a baby and exit the barriers before you even hear a hoofbeat hit the cobblestone?  

8. Do your best to get into the arena before they close it off. This happens not long after the final bull runs in.  Once in the arena either stay in the center and play matador with the younger cows they let charge around, or stay on the outside of the wall and watch the somewhat comedic mayhem that ensues. (Note: These cows are not your docile black and white dairy cows. these are young, energetic, cows with horns who are more than happy to knock a cocky tourist to the ground).

I have to say it was an amazing experience that I would happily do again.  It was a crazy mix of Mardi Gras, a high school track meet, Oktoberfest and a rodeo all rolled into one.  How could you pass up
something as great as that?

Survivors!!! Photo Credit: Antoine Kinch

The only thing I would do differently is I would not have run so far along the course so quickly.  As a first time runner, I thought I would need to book it at top speed otherwise I’d be trampled by both the crowds and the bulls. I ended up getting nearly to the end of the course before I realized how far I’d gone. I stopped, jogged back up the path a bit then waited for the on-rush of people in a dead sprint. Once I got a quick glimpse of the bulls behind them, I got the hell out of there and ran into the arena. Next time, I’ll stop along the last straightaway and let those bulls run past me so I can get the full affect (of course I say that now from the comfort of a kitchen table). 

Just a few pieces of advice from a now “experienced” runner: 

1. Avoid Dead Man’s Curve (Duh!!). This is a sharp curve just at the beginning of the race that the bulls are not designed to negotiate very well, so they will slip, slide and slam into the walls taking anyone nearby with them.

2. If you bring a camera, make it small and conceal it.  If the police see you with a camera, you and your camera will be removed from the race course.

3. Wear the white and red uniform. No one will stop you from running for not dressing that way, but come on…its easy to do and it keeps the tradition going. If you haven’t planned ahead, they will of course sell you everything at little stands near the race course.

4. Once you are in the arena after the run and are “playing” with the younger cows, you can try and tap them or touch them, but do not act like a jerk and try to hurt them. If the crowds sees this, they will pull you off and beat the hell out of you until the police come to break it up. The police may then bring a bit more justice.

5. Be prepared, if you enter the arena before the bulls do, the crowds in the stands will boo you and throw things at you. The taunting will will stop as soon as the bulls arrive, though.

6. Don’t forget you are dealing with scared, untrained animals here. While the bulls don’t have any true desire to attack people along the route, if they get confused or frightened, you can’t know what they will do. Always pay attention!

So what do you think? Have I talked you into trying it? Or if you have already taken this right of passage, what other advice would you share?