On this page: Background & Run Preparation Run/Route Description The Run Back to the beach in Biarritz

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Vic, Mike and I had decided to spend the weekend in Biarritz, a beachtown on the French Atlantic coast about 30 minutes north of the Spanish border (and an hour west of Pau).  It was not until after we booked our flights to Pau that we realized the San Fermin Fiesta was beginning on the same weekend.  Once we found out, we decided that it was too good of an opportunity to pass up, and that we should at least investigate how feasible it is to run.  We drove from Biarritz to Pamplona (~90 minutes) on Saturday July 6th, the day before the run.  The partying had already started the night before, and the party-goers were in an interesting state when we arrived at 3pm.  We found the course and walked it from end to end, which is recommended for any interested runner.  The course runs through a series of narrow streets in the oldest part of Pamplona's city center.  Intersections and plazas along the route are lined with wooden fencing, which both isolates the route and provides escape for the runners.  The wooden fences are double-lined, with about 5 feet of empty space between the linings, to provide space for runners to land after jumping out of the course (or after sliding under the bottom of the wooden slats).  First-aid teams can also be found in the space between the double fencing.  The fencing is closed on the morning of the run, and the only way to enter the course is through the gateway at the Town Hall or at the gateway of the Plaza del Mercado.  The course was full of open shops and bars when we walked it, and was packed full of celebrating people.  Registration or advanced signup is not required to take part in the run.  For more detailed information on preparation for running, see Sanfermin.com's How To Run.  It is a great site, and all in english.

Once we were satisfied with our familiarity with the course, we left town and headed back north into the Pyrenees, where we found a campsite called "Aralar Lekunberri" in a valley about 30 km north of Pamplona along the Autoroute 15 (Pamplona-San Sebastian).  We reserved a site, then found dinner at a local restaurant on the outskirts of a small town.  We were back at the campsite by 9pm, and were greeted by a large group of organized tours that were being guided through the Pamplona celebration, and were staying in the campsite.  The groups occupied at least 50 tents (purple!) in the campground, including their own techno-dance group tent.  Fortunately we had chosen a tent site far above the partying tour groups.  We were in the tent by 11pm, prepared to wake up at 5:30am, to be back in the city by 6:30am.  The tour groups partied until 4am when the music finally stopped.  I had a pair of earplugs, so I did not really mind the noise.  Other images from the day:
 

Mike flying his kite on the beach

Campground in the Pyrenees

Run/Route Description
We woke up at 5:30am, and headed into the city.  We parked and were walking towards the course by 7am.  Mike and I found a way down into the course (with some difficulty), and Vic went to search for a good spot to watch the event.  For more information on how to watch the run, see Sanfermin.com's How to Watch the Run.  At 7:20am the street-cleaners move in to mop up the accumulated debris and junk left by the previous night of partying.  They also helped clear out the obvious non-runners and made sure shops and bars were closed.  As long as you find a way onto the course before it is sealed at 7:30am, then you are free to choose the part of the course where you will run.

A rocket traditionally goes off at the moment the bulls are let out into the street at 8am.  A second rocket goes off to let everyone know that all the bulls are out of the corral and now in the street.  A third rocket goes off once all the bulls have run the course and have arrived inside the bullring.  A fourth and final rocket is sent off when all the bulls have been safely led into their pens inside the ring.  The ideal way to run is to start off jogging when the bulls are still a good distance behind, and as they draw nearer start running as fast as the crowd will allow, hang in close them for a short time (as close as you are prepared to risk) and then get out of the way as cleanly as possible when they pass you.  In actuality, if the crowd is too large, then you are limited to a short amount of running with a large panic-stricken stampede of people, followed by a last-minute attempt to squeeze against the side of the street to allow the bulls to pass.   The crowds were at a maximum for our run because it was the first day of the festival and on a Sunday morning.  As a result, some of the biggest risks involved the large number of still-drunk people trying to run on the course and avoid the bulls.

Each section of the run has its own particular characteristics.  For a detailed description of the features of each part of the run, see the Sanfermin.com's How to do the Run.  To summarize, the run starts south down a parabola-shaped street called Santo Domingo (280 meters), and goes up as far as the Town Hall courtyard.    Santa Domingo has always been considered a dangerous stretch because on this initial stage the bulls burst out of their pen full of energy and are on top of the runners very quickly.  The road then widens beyond the Town Hall and passes through the Ayuntamiento square and left onto a short street called Mercaderes (about 100 meters long). The bulls begin to slow down somewhat on Mercaderes. This part of the run is on a left-turning bend so the bulls tend to pull towards the right side of the street.  At the end of Mercaderes Street the route takes a sharp right turn onto a street called Estafeta.  The bulls tend to pull over towards the left and they slide up against the fence and the wall of the corner.  They often lose their footing and fall, which can lead to a turned-around bull and/or a separated bull - the most dangerous situation on the course.   Even the stone slabs on this corner have been chipped down to try to give the hooves of the bulls a better footing.  After the turn the the bulls continue to ease their pace somewhat as they proceed up the straight and narrow Estafeta Street (450 meters).  The biggest danger here is a separated bull.  At the end of Estafeta Street is Telefónica - the telephone exchange this is a short stretch (90 meters) and leads into the corral (Callejón) at the entrance of the bull ring.  A lot of runners are bunched up at Telefónica ready to lead the bulls towards the corral and on down into the ring.  Many of them are inexperienced and are a potential hazard to each other as they run towards the narrow corral.  By this stage there is also a good possibility that one or more of the bulls has become separated which greatly increases the potential danger.  Once through the entrance into the Bullring, there is not much danger as everyone fans out in all directions when they burst into the ring.  The runners immediately head for the sidelines to allow the waiting drovers to lead the bulls to the bullpen on the far side of the ring.

The Run
Mike and I chose to start our run at the southern end of the Santo Domingo, just before it reaches the Town Hall.  You have a view down much of Santa Domingo at this point (to the bottom of the parabola), which provides advanced warning of the oncoming people and bulls.  We planned to get a jogging start, and to have the bulls pass us as we reached the Town Hall where we would be able to escape to the fences on the side of the course if necessary.  The road at this point is cobbled, except for a small sidewalk on the east side of the street where we chose to begin.  The road is also gently turning at this point, naturally driving the bulls to the outside of the turn, towards the west side of the street (away from us).  There are no doorways or wooden fences on this section of the street before the Town Hall, which is dangerous, but we calculated that we would be able to make it to the Town Hall before the bulls passed us.  The most important area is not where you begin, but where the bulls pass you.  We were logical in our selection, and it paid off in the end.  Our main worry was that the bulls would be running on our side of the street (on the inside of the turn), and that we would not make it to the Town Hall before they passed us.  Crossing in front of the bulls was not an option, as this is what led to the demise of an American in this exact location in 1995.

Our other main concern was the large crowd in the street.  We stood in our spot at 7:20am, and we were convinced that the police would sweep the course at anytime and expel any non-serious (or drunk) looking people.  But it never happened, and the first rocket went off with a large number of runners (estimated at over 2000) in the street.  We waited and watched down the street, and saw masses of people sprinting towards us.  We waited against the wall as people began to run past us, and then we saw the bulls at the bottom of our stretch.  We took off running towards the Town Hall, reached the area before the bulls passed, and pressed with 100's of other people onto the inside (east) side of the course, up against the protective fence (jumping out was not an option due to the crowds).  Seconds later the bulls galloped past - two castrated bulls who had run the course before led the way, followed by six "real" bulls.  The most striking thing about the animals was their size, and also their eyes, which darted repeated as they passed in front of us.

After the bulls passed people began to run after them, which is never recommended because it can distract the bulls and cause them to turn around.  Others lingered into the street.  Within seconds there were more shouts and more running from the starting direction, as the remaining four "sweeper" castrated bulls passed through the course.  I now had space and a firm grip on the protective fence, and was ready to jump out  if necessary.  The sweeper bulls passed us with no problem, and people again dispersed onto the street.  Several minutes passed by before the third rocket blasted, which implied that the bulls had been delayed, and that something had happened along the course.  After the final rocket I walked back to our starting point to meet Mike, and we walked back to the car to meet Vic.  By 8:45am we were in the car and driving away from Pamplona, headed back to the beaches of Biarritz.  We were a bit disappointed by the large crowds, but still had fun "running with the bulls" in Pamplona.

After our return to Paris we found several online articles focusing on our day of the run, including one long article on CNN.com.  Six people had been injured, most likely on Estafeta street or just after the two major turns - beyond where we had chosen to run.  Three of the injuries were bull-related gorings, and three of the injuries were not directly bull induced.  The two photos above illustrate two of the three bull-related injuries.

Back to the beach in Biarritz
We spent the rest of the day on a beach just north of Biarritz, getting some sun, eating, and flying Mike's giant kite.  We drove back to Pau in the late afternoon, dropped Vic off at a hotel where he would stay for his course in the following week, and headed to the airport.  We were back in Paris by 9pm.  Another interesting (to say the least) and fun weekend!
 

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