If you ever plan to attend the famous running of the bulls at the festival of San Fermín in Pamplona, Spain, you will need to know the best way to escape a charging bull. Although there are no definitive rules in this adrenaline-filled practice on the streets of Pamplona, a few tips may be very helpful in case you come face to face with a raging bull. One tip that may help is that bulls run faster going uphill than downhill because they have longer hind legs than front legs. So running downhill to escape a bull is a better idea than running uphill.
Especially for new participants, it is important to avoid the opening 200 yards (183 m) of the run, as the bulls run the fastest in these very narrow streets. You should be aware of your surroundings while you run, and not just of the bulls, but also of other people. Beware of bulls that fall and separate from the herd, as they may be more dangerous in their confusion. Do not yell at the bulls or distract them. And if you happen to fall, the best thing to do is to stay down, curl up, and cover your head. Although the festival of San Fermín is a thrilling and memorable event, numerous participants are injured each year.
More about the festival of San Fermín:
- The festival takes place between 6 July and 14 July every year.
- During the festival, six fighting bulls are released each morning to run a half-mile (.8 km) course to the bullring, where they will ultimately be killed by matadors.
- Between 1924 and 2016, fifteen people died during the running of the bulls.
