The Bull Run

Setting religion to one side, the Bull Run is the central event of the Fiesta of San Fermin and the one which has projected the image of Pamplona to the five continents. All over the world, people have heard of the city where people run through the streets ahead of a herd of bulls. Live TV broadcasts of the event have but fed the legend and increased the number of participants to dangerous levels.

Origin and regulation in 1867

In mediaeval times, the bulls were led on foot from the countryside to the public square set up as a bullring. The last stretch was covered at dawn and at running pace in order not to disturb the locals. In Pamplona, this form of entering the city survived the arrival of the railway. Given the impossibility of prohibiting it due to its popularity, the City Council regulated the event in 1867. This photo was taken on the 8th of July 1939: the absence of the current double barrier meant that some bulls escaped, bringing panic to the city.

Consolidation of the route

The original path, which ended in the Plaza del Castillo, was changed in 1844 with the arrival of the bullring. The run went through Calle Estafeta for the first time in 1856.

Rockets

Four rockets are launched during the run and the safety of the runners depends to a large extent on their being launched properly and on time. The first one is launched when the clock on the Church of San Cernin strikes 8 am. This is when the gates of the corral are opened and the barriers formed by the Municipal Police retaining the runners are withdrawn. The second rocket announces that the entire herd has left the corral, the third that the bulls and the oxen are in the Bullring and the fourth rocket indicates that the entire herd has entered the corral at the Bullring. The Bull Run has always taken place at the same solar time. Changes to official times meant that it was at six o’clock in the morning until 1924, at seven until 1973 and has been at eight o’clock since 1974.

Song at the niche

Minutes prior to the run, local runners invoke the Saint to ask for his protection. They do this in front of a niche located at the beginning of the hill of Santo Domingo, waving a newspaper in their hands. The song is sung three times (at 7.55 am, 7.57 am and 7.59 am) and the words go as follows: “A San Fermín pedimos (We ask of San Fermin)/ por ser nuestro patrón (for he is our patron)/ nos guíe en el encierro (to guide us in the Bull Run)/ dándonos su bendición (giving us his blessing)”. It ends with shouts of “Viva San Fermín!, Gora San Fermín!” (Long live San Fermin, first in Spanish, then in Basque) and is one of the most emotive moments.

The barrier

Barriers were used for the first time in 1776 to mark the route of the Bull Run and they are the most important safety measure. They are made of fir wood and consist of 1,800 boards, 40 gates, 590 posts, 200 palisades, 2,400 wedges and 2,000 bolts. 20 boards are replaced each year due to damage.

The newspaper

Most of the runners carry a rolled-up newspaper to gauge distances with the bulls and to incite them if necessary.

The herd

The run is performed by the six bulls to be fought in the Bullring the same afternoon and two groups of oxen (bellwethers), easily recognisable thanks to the bells around their necks, used to lead them. Eight oxen run with the bulls. A further three leave the corral two minutes later, acting as a kind of broom wagon.

24 pile-ups

Pile-ups occur when one or several runners trip up, causing other runners to fall on top of them. There have been 24, with a total of 700 injured. The best-known pile-ups have taken place at the entrance to the Bullring. These were on the 7th of July 1922 (100 injured), the 7th of July 1943 (24 injured), the 9th of July 1975 (1 dead, 16 seriously injured and 100 with contusions) and the 8th of July 1977 (1 dead and 35 with contusions).

Sections

1. Santo Domingo. 280 metres. Between the corral and Plaza Consistorial. A steep slope The bulls tend to group together. One of the most violent and dangerous sections, particularly entering the square.

2. Plaza Consistorial-Mercaderes. 100 metres. One of the least dangerous sections despite being technically one of the most complicated due to its double bend. Runners enjoy greater space to run in. There are plenty of cubby-holes to seek protection in.

3. Bend of Estafeta. Calle Estafeta starts with a 90-degree right-hand angle, causing the bulls to slip and crash into the barrier on the outside of the bend. Runners should take the bend on the inside if they do not want to get caught up with the animals.

4. Estafeta-Bajada de Javier. Slight 2% slope. Long and narrow, it is one of the most popular stretches. The doorways along the street are the only protection available.

5. Bajada de Javier-Telefónica. The herd loses much of its pace. Sometimes, it breaks up and bulls drop behind. This makes it a dangerous stretch.

6. Telefónica. Barely 100 metres in which the double wooden barrier adopts the form of a funnel. Tiredness means a still slower pace and often causes the herd to break up, the most dangerous thing that can happen. The favourite place of the “divinos” (the divine: the most famed, expert runners) and many inexpert runners.

7. Lane. Funnel-shaped section which leads down into the Bullring. Much feared for the danger of human pile-ups.

8. Bullring. The middle is left free to allow the bulls to run through, led by the oxen and directed by the dobladores. The proliferation of inexpert runners and show-offs has made a dangerous stretch of a section which did not use to be so.

The Bull Run in figures

Time: 8 am

Dates: 7th to the 14th of July

Route: 848.6 metres. Santo Domingo, Plaza Consistorial, Mercaderes, Estafeta and the Bullring.

Average duration: 3 m 55 s

Speed of bulls: 24 km/h

The longest Bull Run: 30 minutes (11th of July 1959). A Miura bull dropped behind the herd and it was necessary to use a dog to bite it in order to lead it into the corral.

The most tragic Bull Run: 10th of July 1947 and 13th of July 1980. ‘Semillero’ (Urquijo) and ‘Antioquío’ (Guardiola) killed two runners apiece.

Number of runners: 2,000 on weekdays and almost 3,500 at weekends.

Most dangerous breed: Guardiola Fantoni. These bulls claimed one life in 1969 and two in 1980.

Number of injured a year: Between 200 and 300. Only 3% seriously.

Lives lost: 14

Last person gored to death: Matthew Peter Tasio (22 years of age, Illinois, USA) was gored to death on the 13th of July 1995 in the Plaza Consistorial by "Castellano", a bull belonging to the Torrestrella ranch.

Where to see it from. Useful information

At street level: You can watch from the outer barrier, but in order to see properly, you need to be there at least 90 minutes before the start. These places, which are highly popular, are free of charge.

In the Bullring: There is not normally any problem with space. A ticket for the tier or upper tier costs 4 euros; the open terrace is free of charge. At weekends, all tickets cost 5 euros. The Iruña Band entertains the public during the wait and, after the run, there are cowfights.

From a balcony: Balconies are rented out for 20 or 30 euros/day.

On television: 12 cameras provide perfect coverage of the run each day.

To be a good runner...

Access. In order to take part, you should enter the Plaza Consistorial before 7.30 am via the gates on the square itself and wait in the square or on the hill of Santo Domingo until the Municipal Police barriers open. Then go to your chosen spot to start the run. Access is closed after this time and leaving the route is forbidden.

Most dangerous sections. Lane-Bullring (where eight of the fourteen deaths have taken place) and the end of Santo Domingo (three lives lost).

Clothes. Wear comfortable clothes and footwear. Do not carry any objects (rucksacks, bags, etc.) with you.

Ask expert runners. The Bull Run is extremely dangerous and overcrowding makes it even more hazardous. Years of practice are needed before you know how to run.

Starting and finishing. It is just as important to know how to get out of the run as it is to know how to get in. There are two techniques: gradually take up position while the rest pull out or get in straight off.

Be careful not to trip up. It is very easy to trip up and fall. Most of the injuries are contusions resulting from falls. You have to run looking in front, behind and at the ground. Once you are in with the herd, the safest place is right next to the bulls as other runners will not get in your way. If you fall, the best thing to do is curl up and keep still.

Bulls and oxen. It is easy to distinguish between the two. The oxen are larger, bonier, older and shaven. They have bells around their necks.

Be careful with bulls when they are on their own. It is the first time they have come into contact with people and noise. Bulls on their own are even more dangerous, both those which run ahead of the herd, flashing their horns and those which drop behind.

Cowherds and dobladores. The cowherds, who run behind the herd with their sticks, try to keep the herd together and reprimand those who annoy, touch or incite the animals. The dobladores wait for the bulls in the Bullring to lead them into the corral with their capes.

Basic prohibitions. It is forbidden to run behind the bulls or to run in the opposite direction to the Run itself. It is also forbidden to incite the bulls or to run under the influence of alcohol. Once in the Bullring, you must run to one side and clear the ring as soon as possible. Under-18s cannot take part. The space between the two barriers is reserved exclusively for runners in danger and authorised personnel.

14 lives lost in the Bull Run

13th of July 1924. Esteban Domeño, 22 years of age, from Sangüesa (Navarre). Telefónica.

8th of July 1927. Santiago Zufía, 34 years of age, from Pamplona. Bullring

10th of July 1935. Gonzalo Bustinduy, 29 years of age, Mexican living in San Sebastián. Bullring

10th of July 1947. Casimiro Heredia, from Pamplona, in Estafeta, and Julián Zabalza, from Estella (Navarre). Bullring

9th of July 1961. Vicente Urrizola, 32 years of age, from Pamplona. Hill of Santo Domingo.

12th of July 1969. Hilario Pardo, 45 years of age, from Murchante (Navarre). Hill of Santo Domingo.

12th of July 1974. Juan Ignacio Eraso, 18 years of age. Telefónica and lane.

9th of July 1975. Gregorio Górriz, Lane.

8th of July 1977. José Joaquín Esparza, 17 years of age, from Pamplona. Suffocated in a pile-up at the entrance to the Bullring.

13th of July 1980. José Antonio Sánchez, 26 years of age, in the Plaza Consistorial, and Vicente Risco, 29 years of age, from Badajoz.

13th of July 1995. Matthew Peter Tassio, 22 years of age, from Illinois (USA). Plaza Consistorial.

8th of July 2003. Fermín Etxeberri, 63 years of age, from Pamplona. Mercaderes.

The Council listens

010Citizens information