Along with skydiving and visiting the Grand Canyon, running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain for the San Fermin festival is surely one of the most popular “bucket list” items around. Firsthand accounts of the exhilaration and thrill that come to those who participate in the unique event paint a picture of accomplishment and triumph.
Sanfermines Vaquillas in Pamplona, Spain. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Organizers of a new event planned for several U.S. cities plan to unleash bulls to sprint through fenced-in courses as daredevils try to avoid being trampled.
The Great Bull Run is inspired by the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. It’s set to kick off Aug. 24 at a drag-racing strip south of Richmond, Va. A second event is planned for Oct. 19 at an Atlanta-area horse park that hosted events for the 1996 Olympics. More events are planned later for Texas, Florida, California, Minnesota, Illinois and Pennsylvania.
Bull runs – when the animals are released to run alongside participants as spectators cheer – are common in Spain and can drum up controversy. Injuries often occur, as do deaths, though they are much rarer. Some groups attack the treatment of the bulls used in the runs.
About 5,000 people have signed up to participate in the Virginia event, and the number grows by about 50 each day, said Rob Dickens, co-founder and chief operating officer of The Great Bull Run. And with 2,000 signed up for the Conyers, Ga., event, Dickens expects 5,000 to 7,000 to run there in October.
The U.S. events will last one day each, unlike the annual weeklong festival in Pamplona, when bull runs are held every morning. Author Ernest Hemingway wrote about the festival in his 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises, which helped it gain worldwide notoriety and attract spectators from around the globe.
Organizers acknowledge that the Great Bull Run is likely to start out on a smaller scale than its Spanish counterpart. But they note that other physically challenging activities such as extreme off-road runs and obstacle races have become increasingly popular in the U.S., and they see bull running as a natural follow-up.
“I think it’s just a progression where we are becoming more and more active as a society,” Dickens said. “There’s this fitness craze that started with running. I think this is just an extension of all that, but making it more interesting to the general public.”
Dozens of people are injured each year in the San Fermin festival at Pamplona, most by tripping and falling. Bulls have killed 15 people since record-keeping began in 1924.
Last month in Spain, a University of Utah college student and an Australian woman were gored by bulls. During one run, participants and spectators screamed as a bull tossed a Spaniard to the ground and attacked him, with fellow runners trying to pull the animal away by its tail. The man was eventually dragged to safety.
Organizers of the U.S. events plan to include several safety features, making them “quite different than the running of the bulls in Spain,” Dickens said.
Unlike the narrow, cobblestone streets of the Spanish runs, the U.S. events will use fencing that will include coves, or notches, so participants can get out of the way quickly.
Dickens said organizers are partnering with ranches who will supply the bulls, and veterinarians will monitor their health. “We’re not using the Spanish fighting bulls that are bred to be very aggressive for the entertaining aspect of bullfighting,” Dickens said.
Bulls will be released in waves of six at a time, giving the animals and people a “better opportunity to complete the course safely,” Dickens said.
Before running, participants will be required to sign waivers. Dickens, an attorney, acknowledges that waivers won’t prevent lawsuits but likened it to sky-diving or operating a rock-climbing wall: “The waivers for the most part ensure that even if you get sued, they’re not going to win.”
Researchers are still trying to figure out why some people are drawn to potentially dangerous activities. One theory is that some people get a surge from routine activities, but others need more thrilling or exciting behaviors to get the same feeling, said Dr. Jonathan Becker, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
“To get that same sort of euphoric feeling that you feel at the end of a jog, they may need to jog with bulls for example,” Becker said.
Organizers say they’re planning each of U.S. event as an all-day experience, with plenty of activities such as a tomato fight, also modeled after a Spanish festival. But they hope the bull runs draw participants who have always wanted to participate but couldn’t make the trip to Spain.
“You can go running down the street anytime you want, but to run with bulls – that’s something that doesn’t come along very often,” Dickens said.
AMPLONA, Spain—Thousands of people run alongside six fighting bulls through the narrow streets of the northern Spanish city of Pamplona in a speedy but goring-free third bull run of San Fermin festival.
Navarra Hospital chief Javier Sesma said two people were taken to city hospitals for bruises sustained in a hectic event that lasted just under three minutes Tuesday. (more…)
PAMPLONA: Thrill-seekers tumbled into each other in a scramble to escape six half-tonne fighting bulls thundering through the cobbled streets of Spain’s northern city of Pamplona today in a mad dash that sent two men to hospital.
The two injured men, Spaniards aged 30 and 47, suffered bruises in falls and were taken to hospital for treatment after the third bull run of the annual San Fermin festival, regional health officials said.
Runners jumped up and down to warm up and did stretching exercises before a firework set off the race, releasing six bulls and six steers to charge through the city to the bull ring, where they were to be slain by matadors. (more…)
LIVING CLOSE TO THE EDGE: Pick your thrill from white-water rafting in Africa to bungee jumping from the Macau Tower in China to running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.
Everyone likes a bit of excitement on holiday. But for those bold travellers who enjoy testing their limits with exhilarating stunts, rides and thrills, the members and editors of VirtualTourist (www.virtualtourist.com) have compiled a list of their top 10 spots to get an adrenalin rush.
Bungee jumping at the Macau Tower, China
Most bungees are built into gorges or natural settings, so how about jumping off a man-made structure into a booming metropolis’s harbour? This is the case at the Macau Tower, the world’s second highest bungee jump, dropping 233m from a platform around the tower. The views are incredible, but also terrifying. You’re dropping from a steel tower with cars driving beneath you – it’s enough to terrify even the most confident daredevil. If you get up there and aren’t ready to jump, the tower has other offerings. They provide skywalks so you can walk around the tower on the rim, but with a harness and without leaping. They also offer a tower climb. Climbers do a 100m ascent to the tower’s summit at 338m.
Trekking to Mount Everest Base Camp near Kathmandu, Nepal
One of the most popular adrenalin treks among VirtualTourist members is the trip to Mount Everest Base Camp. While making it to the base camp requires training and planning, few experiences can top the view from the Nepalese side, which is at an altitude of 5 364m. One member suggests The Upper Mustang Trek, particularly the portion above Chele, if you want vertigo. Some travellers consider trekking the Annapurna Circuit and members of VirtualTourist can advise you about whether you should trek on your own, with a guide or porter or an organised group. Each of these is a different experience and pace.
Running with the bulls – Pamplona, Spain
VIEW FROM ABOVE: Laura McMurchie, of Phoenix, arrives at the end of a zip line on a canopy tour in La Fortuna, Costa Rica.
AP
Running with the bulls is a once-in-a-lifetime thrill many adrenalin junkies include on their bucket lists. Popularised by Ernest Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises, the event occurs during the San Fermin Festival from July 6 to 14, which celebrates the patron saint of Navarra. The actual running of the bulls occurs every week morning and serves a distinct purpose – the bulls must get from outside the city to the bullring. Just being a spectator, is an adrenalin rush!
Zip lining in Costa Rica
The jungles and animals of Costa Rica are a thrill, but the vantage point and excitement of a zip line takes the entire experience to another level. A zip line, becoming more and more popular in tropical resorts, combines a series of cables and platforms at different heights that allow visitors to travel through the rainforest canopy and over rivers and water features safely. While they are a total adrenalin rush, they also serve as an unusual way to see ecology, botany and animals up close in the wild. Zip lines are becoming increasingly popular and can be found throughout Costa Rica, but some of the best areas to find them are Monteverde, Arenal and Manuel Antonio.
Surfing Tavarua Island, Fiji
For those who want their adrenalin on the water, few spots in the world are as remote and filled with guaranteed great waves as Fiji. Tavarua Island, a heart-shaped spot located off the Western coast of Fiji near Momi, is an island resort encircled by coral reefs and the one-of-a-kind wave breaks that accompany them. You’ll need to take a boat out to some of them, but then you’re set for the ride of your life. The fantastic surf spots near Tavarua include the notorious Cloudbreak and Restaurants, a 200-300-metre ride right off the island.
Heli-skiing in Valdez, Alaska
SOUGHT-AFTER HIGH: Paragliders are seen above the Swiss Alps.
AP
Many of us think skiing is risky enough as it is, but if you’d like to turn up the volume heli-skiing is becoming more popular than ever. One spot growing in popularity is Valdez, Alaska, which is incredibly vertical and local organisers promise six runs a day and roll over runs. If you only get to five runs one day, you can ski seven runs the next day. The season in Valdez runs from early February to the second week of May, but it is suggested to get there earlier – once other North American areas close in April, many serious skiers start flocking to Alaska.
Ledge jumping in Queenstown, New Zealand
New Zealand has long been a hot spot for adrenalin junkies and extreme sports enthusiasts. A great spot for both is Queenstown where visitors can experience the ledge urban bungee. After taking the skyline gondola to the top of Bob’s Peak, you can luge down concrete tracks, hike the mountain-top trails or jump from the ledge urban bungee. Be warned, it has a runway so you gain a bit of speed and the harness allows jumpers to do flips, twists and other such stunts. At 400m above Queenstown, this activity is not for the faint-hearted!
Paraglide above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, Switzerland
Several VirtualTourist members suggested getting a thrill while on the road by seeing your location from above – way above! In Switzerland, one VT member left Interlaken, which is already quite high at 570m, by van and drove up to the village of Beatenburg at 1 320m. Taking off from a meadow high above Interlaken, paragliding provides thrills and unparalleled views of Lake Brienz, Lake Thun and the town below. For those who are more adventurous, you can paraglide from the top of Schilthorn, which is 2 970m high and was featured in a James Bond film.
White-water rafting in Africa
Several VirtualTourist members suggested white-water rafting in different areas of Africa for an extreme thrill. One popular spot is on the Zambezi, just downriver from Victoria Falls along the border of Zimbabwe. This area has Grade 5/V white rapids and the best time to try them is from July to January. Another member suggested the rapids along the Nile River near Jinja, Uganda – also Grade 5 white-water rapids – although she said she would probably never do them again, it was an experience of a lifetime!
Rappelling in St George, Utah
A few of our previous suggestions will have you attached to a rope, but none probably as risky as rappelling and canyoneering in St George. Rappelling is best described as controlled descent down a rockface using a rope, commonly seen on the cover of Patagonia catalogues and a favourite of daredevils all over Utah. St George is located in the middle of amazing rock formation areas including Zion National Park, Snow Canyon State Park and slot canyons, making this the area where “canyoneering” or hiking, climbing, and rappelling in narrow slot canyons, was born. It’s a playground for adrenalin junkies with outstanding mountain biking, ATV trails and an abundance of rock climbing.
Sykose Extreme Sports News 