Can Girls Run With The Bulls?

Stokepedia

So, can girls run with the bulls? Put simply, they absolutely can, but a lot of them don’t want to. We’ve all heard about the famous Spanish festival of San Fermin, The Running Of The Bulls, a world-famous event that brings thousands of tourists from all over the world to defy death by running with bulls, and of course, by partying for a week straight. It’s very important to do your research about the bull run if you feel like it’s something that might tickle your fancy.

A lot of tourists just go in expecting it to be a casual jog, go out the night before, party right through, pissed as a nit and wonder why they fell over and copped an injury. Don’t be that person. Although it is pretty much all men that participate in the run, more and more girls are getting keen on the idea because you know, girl power and stuff.

During the actual run itself, it’s dog eat dog. Bull eat bull if you will. You think that if you fall over, because you’re a girl, a hero will appear in the form of a muscly Spaniard and you will you be whisked away to safety and attempt to run again the next day. Not true. In the midst of the run itself, from the second that first canon goes off, the people are more of a threat than the bulls, well, almost. They go crazy, become almost possessed and absolutely fucking charge through the streets, no matter who is in the way. Big tough guys line up, stretch out their legs, they practice jumping over and under things to make sure they’re agile enough to escape should they need to.

You need to be OK with running amongst this, knowing that you’re essentially out there on your own. During the run itself, you might not even remember anything, it’s pretty much a blur of adrenaline. You might look back and see some poor fucker on the ground surrounded by paramedics, you might (almost definitely will) see people get pushed over, knocked to the ground or trampled. Don’t think about it! Don’t stop to offer help – just keep running! When you get to the arena, double check that there are no stray bulls behind you, sprint in there, get some poor stranger to snap your token Insta pic and then get the fuck out, unless of course you want to tango with the bulls, then stay and pray you don’t get hurt. The run itself will only last for about five minutes tops, so even though it feels like it will last forever, it sure as hell won’t.

It is important to remember that you can start at different points throughout the run. The further up you are, the safer you will (should) be. It’s totally normal to be scared shitless, especially if you’re a girl planning on entering the testosterone fuelled streets. Our hot tips are: start after Dead Man’s corner, don’t look back, forget about everyone else and fucking run. Maybe even wait a few days and make sure everyone else that goes before you makes it back in one piece. Ask around for tried and tested tips on how to make it out alive, with as few bruises as possible.

We highly recommend arriving in Pamplona a few days before, spend some time chilling out at the Stoke campsite with all your new besties, drinking all the beer and sangria humanly possible, thinking up a game plan and preparing get amongst it. Then, get out there, show the boys (and the bulls) who’s boss and try not to get trampled. Once it’s all over, the adrenaline has worn off and you’ve stopped shaking profusely, return to camp and brag about your newfound bad-bitch status. You earned it.

Running Of The Bulls is a festival in Pamplona, Spain that runs in conjunction with Stoke’s very own Stoked In The Park. Between these two festivals, the craziness of the street carnivals that run every night and the non-stop madness of the Stoke campsite, you’re an idiot if you miss out. 

Tagged with: stoked in the park, bulls, booze, running of the bulls