I ran with the bulls

... this morning. It was incredible, and it marked the end of my trip. My first thought was that... hey this isn´t so dangerous... but as I walked back to the start of the run, I saw all this blood on the streets and then I learned this morning´s run was the longest and bloodiest one in Pamplona´s history.... check out this article.

But I´m fine, and I´m going back to Madrid today to chill out... I feel my trip is officially over, and I´m just relaxing now.



Here's a picture of some blood on the street after I ran.

Seven gored by Spanish bulls in one day

July 12, 2007 - 6:54PM

Charging bulls gored seven people and seriously injured several others as this year's San Fermin festival in Pamplona served up its longest and most dangerous run on Thursday.

Thirteen people in total were hospitalised, seven for gorings and six for treatment of head injuries and other injuries, the local government said in a statement. Three were reported to be in very serious condition after undergoing operations

The pack of six 590-kilogram bulls and six steers - meant to keep the bulls running in a single pack - disintegrated shortly after the animals set off on the dash through the cobblestone streets of Pamplona in the sixth of eight planned runs.

One stray bull turned around and ran the wrong way. Herders with long sticks smacked it in the rump to get the animal pointed in the right direction.

The loose bull charged and tossed several runners - some of them clad in the traditional red-and-white garb of San Fermin - on its way to the bullring.

Several runners were trampled and seven runners were injured by bulls' horns.

One 48-year-old man from Pamplona was gored in the chest and reported to be in very serious condition. A 23-year-old Mexican was gored in the stomach and also reported as very serious.

The other runners who were gored were from Poland, Norway, Spain and the United States, with ages ranging from 23 to 50, officials said. They were all reported to be in serious condition.

The run lasted 6 minutes, 9 seconds, compared with the normal length of about 2 minutes, because the bulls separated - the most dangerous thing that can happen at Pamplona.

The festival in this northern town, renowned for its all-night street parties, dates back to the late 16th century. It gained worldwide fame in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises.

Since record-keeping began in 1924, thirteen people have been killed during the runs, the most recent in 1995.

© 2007 AP DIGITAL