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Running with the Bulls: photos from a runners
perspective
Here are some
photos I took during the run (San Fermin 2000). Sorry for
poor quality of the photos but I was running at the time
and I had the flash covered with gaffa tape so I wouldn't
attract the attention of el toro.
Special note:
Since taking these shots I found out that we are not
permitted to take photographs of the run without obtaining
permission first - doh! Sorry about that... er... I'll ask
next time. Cheers. Todd O'Neill
Photos of Pamplona from a
runners perspective
8:00 in the Square
(time to fill your trousers!)
Guys waiting in Ayuntamiento Square (by the town hall).
This is a pretty popular starting point. Wimpy folk start
the run near the bull run from just outside the bull ring
so they can tell everyone they went running with the bulls
(when in fact they only see the bulls from a comfy seat
in the stadium). These people are booed as they enter the
ring - rightly so!
Running down
Estafeta Street
Things
get a bit manic when a bull(s) charges through the crowd.
My strategy was to follow Bruce Sinclair (he's the one in
the green striped shirt) since he has completed something
like 50 runs and is a real expert. The stratgy worked for
a while but I lost him when he started running in between
the bulls. Cripes scary stuff!
Running down
Estafeta Street
I encountered
a good few bulls running down this narrow street. The are
basically no exit points on this street so you are pretty
much committed to running. There are a few shallow shop fronts
but they are ususally crammed with guys -so keep running!
The bulls slow down slightly by the middle of this long straight
but they are still covering 100 metres in 6 seconds - damn!
Time to bailout!
Too
close for comfort. At the end of Estafeta Street I encountered
this trio. I couldn't find a spot to bail out so I kept running.
Enentually I found a small gap on the wooed barrier and jumped
up onto it. The 2 brown bulls are steers which are not as
nasty as the bulls. If you look closely there is a black bull
on the bottom right of the photo - his horn is just wizzing
by my wedding tackle - don't try this at home kids!
Entering the
bull ring
Choose your moment to head into the narrow entrance to
the bullring. If you are lucky you won't encounter any human
pileups. This photo was taken just inside the bullring.
Not over just
yet...
The
funny thing is once you make it into the bull ring you are
so relieved that you make it but then as more bulls enter
the ring you quickly realise you are not out of danger just
yet!
Cripes!!!!
These
guys take the bulls to their pens at the back of the ring.
Cripes
again!!!!!
Believe me these
bulls look a lot bigger in real life.
Game over.
Whew,
still in one piece, no punctures. Time for some high performance
drinking!
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