A video of the non-stop party

Yes, these are some of the guys I’ll be running with in the morning, playing an improvised version of soccer.

More info about the route

The major points of interest on the route are numbered above:

1.  This is the pen where it starts.  It’s all uphill here, and walking it this morning made it pretty clear that this is a bad place to run.

2.  Cuesta de Santa Domingo – just a bunch of shops along both sides.  There are plenty of areas to bail out here, under fences or into shop doorways.

3.  Plaza del Ayuntamiento – A big open plaza area.  It’s lined on both sides with a wooden fence.

4.  Curva de Mercaderes hacia Estafeta – “Dead Man’s Corner” – This is where you see a lot of the news coverage.  It is a 90 degree turn to the right, very slippery.  If you end up on the left hand side of this curve, it’s going to be a very bad day for you.

5.   Calle Estafeta – This is where I plan to start.  It is a bit uphill, and there aren’t a lot of spaces to hide.  But with the sharp corner just before, I’m hoping it will slow down the bulls just enough where I can have enough gas in me to make it to the end.

6.  Curva de Telefónica – Another curve, but much less sharp and dangerous.  It is at the top of a hill, and the rest of the run is downhill into the arena.

7.  The entrance to the arena

8.  The arena itself

Arrived in Pamplona!

After a 4 hour train ride this morning from Barcelona, we arrive in Pamplona.  This place is crazy.  It is a non-stop party.

As soon as we arrived at our hotel, we met David Mora, who is the matador at tonight’s bullfight.  Of course we didn’t know who he was, but the concierge introduced us and we took the picture below.  He’s staying in our hotel, and here’s a link to his site.

We headed downtown and snapped a few pics.

The pen where the bulls are kept prior to the run.  They actually take them here in the middle of the night, through town.

“Dead Man’s Corner”.  This is where most people get hurt.  It is a very sharp, narrow 90 degree turn to the right.  My plan is to start just after this, leaving about a 400M sprint to the finish!

Non-stop party!  These guys have been at it since 8am.

The entrance to the arena.  This is where the run finishes.