The things that humans do to prove themselves never ceases to amaze me. To me, the running of the bulls 'encierro' (at the San Fermin Festival) amusing and entertaining in a macabre sort way. I'm watching people psyche themselves up for the annual run in Pamplona while I'm blogging. They've just shown the previous year's race from beginning to end and the people who do find a horn in their buttocks or heaven forbid in the region where waste escapes, do so because of human stupidity. Who runs into a crowd of people blocking his/her path? Everyone gets so shit-scared that they end up running along the gutter and thereby running into each other while there is all this free space in the middle of the cobbled path. My strategy would be to run along the middle. None of this gutter running business. I mean if you're going to risk your life, you might as well do it properly!The running of the bulls reminds me of ten pin bowling. The resemblance is uncanny is it not? The bowling bulls are rolling down the streets and they are crashing into these human pin heads but even when they hit the gutter it's a STRIKE!
From watching the race, it seems that there are also a large number of injuries when the bulls turn the corner and they slide onto the gutter because they slip on the cobbled surface. You also see these idiots slowing down and turning around to look to see where the bulls are. I mean do you really need to know? I'm sure the bull isn't just going to creep up on you wearing their Nike air soles they'll be a hundred people screaming and you should be able to hear the clippity clopping.
The question is, would I partake in it? If I had a terminal illness I probably would. I'll rather a bull kill me than an incurable disease. On second thoughts, the length of the run would probably kill me. I can't run more than 400 metres at high speed to save my life.
Last year's race:
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