Running with the bulls

One would think they had something better to do with their time. Geez...I've been chased by a damn bull and it's no fun. I was eight years old at the time and I was visiting my Granny. I thought I would walk across the pasture to my Aunt's house and I knew the bull was in the pasture but I figured since he was grazing he wouldn't notice little ole me going across the pasture. Wrong...I could hear his heavy breathing and all I could see was the dust kicking up behind him. I ran as fast as I could to the large gate. I knew if I could climb over it I would be okay. I did get over the top but I fell trying to get my other leg over. But I didn't care because I made it. I looked up to see my Uncle laughing and yelling Skeesit you made it and not a minute to soon. I didn't have a clue to what he was saying all I knew was I made it. My Uncle promised not to tell my mom so I wouldn't get in trouble.



PAMPLONA, Spain (AP) -- Spain's largest fighting bulls lived up to their fearsome reputation, goring two and crushing at least seven people as thousands of daredevils sprinted down narrow streets Sunday in Pamplona's annual running of the bulls.


A Miura fighting bull catches up to a runner during the second day San Fermin bull run.

1 of 2 more photos » The second of eight bull runs in the weeklong San Fermin festival involved the black and reddish-colored Miura bulls, renowned as the largest fighting bulls in Spain.

As they charged down the 800-meter route, two of them fell and, appearing to lose their way, turned on the crowd of runners. Two people were gored.

Despite the animals' size, experts admire the Miura breed for their power and grace, which inspired legendary Italian car maker Ferruccio Lamborghini to name one of his most famous sports cars after the animals. Watch as powerful bulls tangle with runners »

The lightest of the animals, a Miura named Majito, weighed 650 kilograms (1,433 pounds). The heaviest, Huigerito, was 695 kilograms (1,532 pounds).

The cobblestone streets of the city's old quarter were jammed with hung over thrill-seekers from around the world, all after a taste of Spanish-style danger.

"People stumble and fall in front of you but you have to just keep running, jump, knock them out of the way. It brings back old football days," said John Mauger, 61, a retired homicide detective from Huntington Beach, California.

Among those injured Sunday was Francisco Itarte, a San Fermin bull herder and one of several men charged with trying to keep the runs as orderly as possible. He was gored, as was a 24-year-old runner from Valencia.

Another of the injured, Modou Mbengue from Senegal, underwent an operation on his left forearm. A 23-year-old French man and seven Spaniards -- one transported by ambulance with his head held in a neck brace -- were treated in Pamplona's hospitals, said Beatriz Perez of the local government.


Since records began in 1924, 13 people have been killed. The last fatality, a 22-year-old American, was gored to death in 1995.

The San Fermin festival dates back to the late 16th century but gained worldwide fame in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises."