Bill Hillmann, one of those friends, just wrote a great article about the Pamplona fiesta from the confines of Chicago.

Please read it and leave comments at:  http://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/europe/spain/How-to-Survive-the-Running-of-the-Bulls.html.

 The 2011 fiesta starts on July 6, 2011. Ari and I will be meeting up with you on
July 8, 2011 (in the coming days our daily itinerary will be posted on the blog), and making appearances through the end of the festival.

As usual, we will be staying at the Hotel Maissonave on Calle Nueva, and you can often find us shiftily milling about in the hotel lobby, or at Foto Auma in Plaza Castillo, spending our retirement  funds.

We really must insist on you stopping us on the cobblestone streets and saying ”hello.”  Other than by our rugged good looks and impeccable grooming, you may recognize us from our photographs in the local newspapers or the post office, or because we will often be wearing the 2011 t-shirts of the Philadelphia Peña and Taurino Club, pictured above.  Or, we will be wearing the official peña pañuelo, pictured below.

But, if you are another corporate attorney from McDonald’s that wants to discuss our use of Mayor McCheese on the t-shirt, please be reminded of the parody and fair use doctrine exceptions to copyright and trademark protection, and that our temporary restraining order is still in effect.

Below is a list of the 2011 bull ranches and matadors.  I would say that Day 10 and 13 are the best potential for spectacular bullfights, but also, you can never go wrong with the diminutive El  Juli, who always delivers in Pamplona.

Best place is by the “new” bus station.

You can’t vote on them, unless you live in l, or nearby and want to drive into town just to vote on the poster.  The Philly Pena is firmly behind the Rubick’s Cube, which won’t win, because it’s too “normal” for our Basque friends.

 When the poster competition ends, it is just a matter of time.  Next to come:  matadors, and the fiesta program of events!

 The Taurino Commission from the Management Board of the Misericordia has published their selection of bull ranches for the 2011 San Fermín feria.

 The following breeds will be participating in the 2011 fiesta:

Miura, Herederos de José Cebada Gago, Fuente Ymbro, Dña. Dolores Aguirre Ybarra, El Pilar, Victoriano del Río Cortés, Torrestrella y Núñez del Cuvillo.

Most importantly, this means that the Jandilla ranch will not be making an appearance in the fiesta, at least not until a breed from the list above is replaced.  That is not unparalleled.  However, bulls from the Jandilla ranch had become, especially in recent years, the most dangerous and unpredictable breed.

For runners, knowledge of the bull breeds, and familiarity with the ranches is extremely helpful.  Like knowing the running course, knowing the ranches helps develop a run strategy.  It’s good to know which breeds are big, fast, or which tend to lose their herd formation.  Of course, we know absolutely nothing, and noone should ever follow our advice.  We are without a clue about anything. 

MIURA – these bulls usually run on Sundays, and while the largest breed, are commonly regarded as the noblest and least likely to gore runners.  Except when they do.  Because of their sheer immensity, the fights are usually messy and extended.  These are the official favorite bulls of the Philadelphia Peña and Taurino Club.  We always run with them, and always wear a tie to see them fight, and celebrate with a nice dinner.

D.JOSÉ CEBADA GAGO – these bulls, which perennially appear during la fiesta, have a higher rate of goring than other breeds.  They are noticeably faster than other breeds.  Their runs deserve extra care.  They have gored 41 runners in 25 years.  They don’t stay together, and they regularly swipe horns at runners.

DOLORES AGUIRRE YBARRA – it seems to us that this breed is run on days that are commonly crowded, such as early in the festival or on weekends.  Usually, there a less than two (2) runners gored, which should almost be expected because of the crowds.  However, because they run with huge numbers of people, this breed leads in non-goring injuries (i.e. falls, collisions, etc.).  Remember, if you fall, do not get up.

FUENTE YMBRO – these bulls first (1st) appeared in 2005, and they run fast:  lightning fast.  In 2007, there was not a single gored runner.  In 2006, there was only a single goring.  In 2005, no one was gored.  In 2010, I wrote in my blog:  “So, I’m thinking they’re due.”  In 2010 their run lasted an agonizing 6 minutes and 23 seconds when a single bull wandered away from the herd for a nice goring.

EL PILAR — These bulls have not run in Pamplona enough to predict their habits.  However, they are big bulls and very fast.  In fact, in 2010, they were just two seconds short of the fastest time ever recorded.  Only when runner Peter N. Milligan thoughtless threw himself down on the cobblestones in the callejón, forcing the herd to jump him and step on his binaca, was the herd denied the all-time fastest encierro time.  What a clown.  Here are some of my good friends from the El Pilar ranch standing on my head:  A CLOSE SHAVE.  It hurt much more than you’d think.

VICTORIANA DE RIO DEL CORTES – This breed ran for the first (1^st) time in 2010, and ran fast and no one knows much else.

TORRESTRELLA – They have gored 21 runners in 10 years.  They apparently used to run under a different ranch name, but I have not been able to find out much information about that.

NUÑEZ DEL CUVILLO – This breed is just average:  not too big, not too fast, and not many runners gored.

Regardless, these are Spanish fighting bulls, and are bred to accentuate several masculine traits.  They are all larger than a Smart Car, and best the speeds of all Olympic sprinters.  Usain Bolt could hurt you if he bumped you at the airport – he’s a lot smaller than a bull.  On any given morning, these bulls could tear you to shreds.

Peter

It starts on page 6:  Straightword Article July/August 2010.

Feel free to giggle out loud.

Peter

Feria del Toro 2010

Yes, it’s awesome!

These are las ganaderías de MIURA, D.JOSÉ CEBADA GAGO, FUENTE YMBRO, JANDILLA, EL VENTORRILLO, DOLORES AGUIRRE YBARRA, EL PILAR and VICTORIANO DEL RíO.

You can run the encierro without knowing the breeds, or even run without knowing that the bulls come from different ranches.

However, knowledge of the breed contributes to personal and group safety. 

For instance, the breed NUÑEZ DEL CUVILLO had become famously vicious in the morning runs, and were left out of the encierro for more than a few years.  Then, when they were permitted to run in 2008 and 2009 they gored no one, and actually appeared indifferent toward the runners.  They are not being welcomed back in 2010. 

Or, the D.JOSÉ CEBADA GAGO breed run notoriously fast, and on crowded days, and seem to always manage to gore someone.

Or, as to the swift FUENTE YMBRO breed, these bulls only started running in Pamplona in 2005.  In 2009, 2008, 2007, and 2005, no one was gored.  In 2006, there was only a single goring. 

Knowing the breeds also enhances the running experience by placing the breed into historical context.

For instance, the iconic MIURA are “toro de real.”  These regal bulls from Seville first appeared in bull rings in Spain in 1849, and have been appearing on Sundays in Pamplona for decades.

In Death in the Afternoon, Hemingway takes pains to emphasize that these bulls come from “old fighting stock” and appear to have an ability to learn from their experience.  Like a velociraptor, when a Miura looks at you, you can tell he’s working things out.

Most famously, a Miura (named Islero) killed the beloved matador Manolete in August 1947.

They are legendary in size, difficult to kill, and considered – rightfully so – as noble in nature.  They are that magnificent.  In our experience, they usually stay together and avoid runners.  However, in 2009, the Miura were involved in a gruesome five (5) minute run with an attendant 5 horn wounds in the callejón.

Miura in 2009

In comparison, EL VENTORRILLO first appeared in Pamplona in 2008 and will be making only their third appearance in 2010. 

For 2010, it appears that the JANDILLA will again be permitted to run, notwithstanding the fatality of Daniel Jimeno Romero on July 10, 2009, caused by the toro “Capuchino.”  The Jandilla seem to be involved in increasingly frightening incidents every summer.  With these, great care is necessary.