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Run With The Bulls in Pamplona (1 Viewer)

M

miphin

Footballguy
I am putting together a trip next summer and I am trying to decide on where to stay.

Anyone have any insight here?

We plan on flying into Barcelona, renting a car and driving over to Pamplona.

We are looking to spend 2 nights there and then move on.

I want to stay somewhere that is close to the action (within 2 miles) and under $325 per night.

Also, if anyone can add other things to do in NE Spain, we will be there 1 week so we should have a few extra days to kill.

I am thinking of visiting Andorra, I hear good things.

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 
It's unlikely that you'll be killed or seriously injured doing this, but I'm not sure why you would voluntarily choose to accept a non-zero risk of death/injury just to do something stupid.

 
Why would I want to do this?

If I were you I woukd practice in a farm field near you.

 
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IvanKaramazov said:
It's unlikely that you'll be killed or seriously injured doing this, but I'm not sure why you would voluntarily choose to accept a non-zero risk of death/injury just to do something stupid.
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Mid life crisis...I need something exciting to do, and I don't think my wife would approve of me nailing co-eds and I don't want a Harley.So I thought this was the next best thing. :ptts:
 
miphin said:
IvanKaramazov said:
It's unlikely that you'll be killed or seriously injured doing this, but I'm not sure why you would voluntarily choose to accept a non-zero risk of death/injury just to do something stupid.
Click to expand...
Mid life crisis...I need something exciting to do, and I don't think my wife would approve of me nailing co-eds and I don't want a Harley.So I thought this was the next best thing. :pickle:
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exactly! this is on my bucket list as well. report back and let us know how it went
 
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I did it in 2002. I was 22 at the time.

I lived in Spain (Madrid) from 2006-2008. PM me specific questions.

FWIW, when I ran, I was staying with some friends for a few days in San Sebastián (Donostia in Basque) who had rented a flat for a month. Four guys in total did the run. We drove over there (about 1.5 hour drive) early in the morning. We left at around noon after partying a little bit there. never got to see the crazy nightlife, but when we did show up at around 6:00 AM, there were definitely people sleeping on the street and drunks being carried by their friends.

Short version: We were in the main town square when the first rocket went off, everyone started running, but we stayed "because we wanted to see the bulls". Another rocket went off, meaning the bulls were on the route and running. Then we took off. People feel, people went over the railings into the crowd, people were hiding in doorways, and I had 4 bulls in a diamond formation blow past me at probably triple my top speed. I was in an narrow street with no railings, as there were buildings on each side. The closest was about 6' away from me as it went past. Then another 2 went by about 5 seconds later. I didn't run the full course, but instead hopped out after the bulls passed. My only regret is not running all the way into the arena.

Oh, I also got scabies from sleeping on my friends' couch. So did my (now-ex) girlfriend. She wasn't pleased.

 
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The Z Machine said:
I did it in 2002. I was 22 at the time.I lived in Spain (Madrid) from 2006-2008. PM me specific questions.FWIW, when I ran, I was staying with some friends for a few days in San Sebastián (Donostia in Basque) who had rented a flat for a month. Four guys in total did the run. We drove over there (about 1.5 hour drive) early in the morning. We left at around noon after partying a little bit there. never got to see the crazy nightlife, but when we did show up at around 6:00 AM, there were definitely people sleeping on the street and drunks being carried by their friends.Short version: We were in the main town square when the first rocket went off, everyone started running, but we stayed "because we wanted to see the bulls". Another rocket went off, meaning the bulls were on the route and running. Then we took off. People feel, people went over the railings into the crowd, people were hiding in doorways, and I had 4 bulls in a diamond formation blow past me at probably triple my top speed. I was in an narrow street with no railings, as there were buildings on each side. The closest was about 6' away from me as it went past. Then another 2 went by about 5 seconds later. I didn't run the full course, but instead hopped out after the bulls passed. My only regret is not running all the way into the arena.Oh, I also got scabies from sleeping on my friends' couch. So did my (now-ex) girlfriend. She wasn't pleased.
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That sounds like a great trip...I always wonder if i am too old to do this.....
 
miphin said:
IvanKaramazov said:
It's unlikely that you'll be killed or seriously injured doing this, but I'm not sure why you would voluntarily choose to accept a non-zero risk of death/injury just to do something stupid.
Click to expand...
Mid life crisis...I need something exciting to do, and I don't think my wife would approve of me nailing co-eds and I don't want a Harley.So I thought this was the next best thing. :thumbup:
Click to expand...
It's a bad decision to run with the bulls. First of all you can minimize your risk by starting at the very front of the pack of runners. You will get to the stadium long before the bulls. However the people who do this are loudly booed and jeered because, frankly there is no point to doing the run without actually seeing a bull. So if you are going to run and don't want to be a tool then you need to expose yourself to a greater degree of danger by choosing a starting point that will allow the bulls to pass you before you reach the stadium.Now not many people die (although enough of them do) and most don't get injured by bulls however there are plenty of injuries from the sheer crush of people moving through the narrow streets. The scene is the very definition of chaos and there are bodies flying everywhere. You might not get hit by a bull but will get constantly pushed and thrown around by other runners. If you don't have quick feet, excellent self awareness and balance you are putting yourself at significant risk.Hundreds, probably tens of thousands actually, of vacations have been derailed by stupid injuries that were easily avoidable. Even something as minor as an ankle sprain is going to diminish your enjoyment of the rest of your holiday. A broken bone, or worse, will likely send you back home before your holiday really even starts.It is better to be known as a wise coward than a dead idiot.
 
Oh and don't be one of the idiots that tries this stunt either.

For some reason it is very popular to jump off this monument and I have witnessed it end badly. Jumping off a 20 high statue hoping to be caught by a bunch of drunk strangers who don't understand physics is not very smart.

 
I know for a few years that there were so many people doing it, that they actually had to have them start running into the stadium (end point) before they could let the bulls out.

 
BTW, about 2 hours after the run, I promised myself, "I will never do that again. That was so stupid."

That said, if I was in Spain around the time of the run, and my friends were running, I'd be tempted to do it again.

 
sbonomo said:
The Z Machine said:
I did it in 2002. I was 22 at the time.I lived in Spain (Madrid) from 2006-2008. PM me specific questions.FWIW, when I ran, I was staying with some friends for a few days in San Sebastián (Donostia in Basque) who had rented a flat for a month. Four guys in total did the run. We drove over there (about 1.5 hour drive) early in the morning. We left at around noon after partying a little bit there. never got to see the crazy nightlife, but when we did show up at around 6:00 AM, there were definitely people sleeping on the street and drunks being carried by their friends.Short version: We were in the main town square when the first rocket went off, everyone started running, but we stayed "because we wanted to see the bulls". Another rocket went off, meaning the bulls were on the route and running. Then we took off. People feel, people went over the railings into the crowd, people were hiding in doorways, and I had 4 bulls in a diamond formation blow past me at probably triple my top speed. I was in an narrow street with no railings, as there were buildings on each side. The closest was about 6' away from me as it went past. Then another 2 went by about 5 seconds later. I didn't run the full course, but instead hopped out after the bulls passed. My only regret is not running all the way into the arena.Oh, I also got scabies from sleeping on my friends' couch. So did my (now-ex) girlfriend. She wasn't pleased.
Click to expand...
That sounds like a great trip...I always wonder if i am too old to do this.....
Click to expand...
I spent 8 weeks backpacking around western Europe. Those few days were a highlight, but there were plenty more.I also did another 8 weeks through Germany and eastern Europe in 2006 during and after the World Cup. That was awesome.:lookatme:
 
I ran with the bulls in Pamplona in 1989. I slept on the ground in Plaza del Castillo (the main park/gathering place in Pamplona). Didn't get much sleeping done anyway because there were bands playing and people partying all night. I was there for 3 days/2 nights. For the second day I bought tickets to the bull fights and watched the running from the arena. The next morning I ran with the bulls and stayed inside the arena for the duration. It's definitely a thrill and something you'll always remember.

My advice is to position yourself so you'll be close enough to the street bulls to get an adrenaline rush, but far enough along the route to reach the arena before they close it off to the runners. Being inside the arena on the floor is alot of fun since the bulls they let out down there are smaller than the running bulls and they have their horns cut so there is no sharp point.

For other thing to do, check out the Dali museum in Figueres - which is in NE Spain.

 
IvanKaramazov said:
It's unlikely that you'll be killed or seriously injured doing this, but I'm not sure why you would voluntarily choose to accept a non-zero risk of death/injury just to do something stupid.
Click to expand...
A guy I went to grade school with was killed a few years ago. I know statistically it's unlikely, but I'd be reluctant to do it now of course.
 
Pics: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/early-lead/wp/2015/02/15/a-20-year-old-american-was-severely-gored-by-a-bull-in-spain/

A 20-year-old American man was seriously gored Saturday in Spain, while participating in a festival tied to Carnival season. Benjamin Miller, from Georgia, was reportedly operated on for three hours to treat wounds inflicted by a bull during “Carnaval del Toro” in Ciudad Rodrigo.

“It’s not the worst injury I’ve seen, but it’s the biggest goring wound I’ve ever had to operate on,” surgeon Enrique Crespo told the Associated Press.
Click to expand...
According to the AP, Miller suffered injuries to his thighs, sphincter :o and back muscles, and is recovering in an intensive-care unit of a nearby hospital. A Ciudad Rodrigo official said that two other participants in the festival were also gored, but less severely.

 
That kid deserved to have his sphincter ripped for wearing that euro tracksuit.

Those pics are hilarious/gruesome.

 
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