1.
The run starts at the bottom of a sloping street
called Santo Domingo. This first stretch, of some
280 metres
(about 293 yards) goes up as far as the Town Hall.
It has always been considered the most dangerous
stretch
because on this initial stage the bulls burst out
of their pen full of energy and are on top of the
runners in a trice. To be more exact, it´s
the third part of this stretch which is the really
dngerous part. There is no protective fence on this
part which leads into the small square in front of
the Town Hall and so, there is no place you can duck
into out of the way of the rampaging bulls. It´s
vital to be aware of this fact so that you can calculate
the exact place and distance that you plan to run.
Just at the starting-line there is a small nitch built into the wall which holds
a small figure of San Fermin. Here, the runners who are bunched up in a disordered
pack, chant a homily to the saint to entreat his protection just before the bulls
are let loose from the pen.
2. The stretch widens as you move into the Ayuntamiento square and onto a short
street called Mercaderes. This stretch is about 100 metres long (About a 110
yards). The bulls begin to slow down somewhat. The run is on a bend so the bulls
tend to pull towards the right side of the fence brushing against the sidewalk
of the street. On this stretch you have a good chance of making a quick exit
through the fence as it´s the longest section of fencing along the whole
route
3. At the end of
Mercaderes Street the route takes a sharp right turn
into a street called Estafeta. Two important things
have to be kept in mind at this
point: it´s very dangerous to take the turn on the wide side, that´s
to say, on the left side. The bulls, carried by their own inertia, tend to pull
over towards the left and they slide up against the fence and the wall on the
corner. They sometimes lose their footing and anyone caught between the wall
and the bull could get flattened
by them or even suffer some more serious misfortune.IT
IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU MAKE SURE TO TAKE THIS TURN
ON THE RIGHT SIDE.
Even the stone slabs on this corner have been chipped down to try to give the
hooves of the bulls a better footing
4. Estafeta: Estafeta Street is a long narrow street of some 450 metres. (Some
480 yards) The bulls continue to ease up their pace somewhat although their pace
is still about six seconds per hundred metres ! However, the immediate danger
could arise here from having a bull separated from the pack due to its having
slipped and fallen on this corner...
5. Telefónica. Just in front of the Telephone Exchange this is a short
stretch of about 90 metres(About a 100 yards) which opens out at the end of Estafeta
Street and leads to the corral at the entrance to the bull ring. Here, a lot
of runners are bunched up ready to lead the bulls towards the corral and on down
into the ring. Many of them are inexperienced and are a potential hazard to each
other as they run towards the narrow corral. By this stage there is a good possibility
that one or more of the bulls has become separated which greatly increases the
potential danger.
6.Callejón. The narrow corral leading down to the entrance to the bullring
is quite tight and sometimes causes a pile-up of
bodies at the entrance, which could be extremely dangerous.
7. Once through the entrance into the Bullring, there won´t be much danger
as long as everyone fans out in all directions when they burst into the ring.
The runners should immediately head for the sidelines to allow the waiting drovers to
lead the bulls to the bullpen on the far side of the ring. Running into the centre
of the ring is dangerous as you are in the path of the bulls heading towards
their pens.
