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Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
At Pamplona's San Fermín Festival, a tiny minority of those who run with bulls are women
PAMPLONA, Spain — Dressed in the traditional bull runner's garb of a white shirt and red neck-scarf, Yomara Martínez, 30, sprinted in the death-defying morning run, or 'encierros,' taking place this week in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona. Yet despite being in a crowd of thousands, Martínez was among only a handful of female daredevils running with the stampeding bulls at the San Fermín Festival. 'At the end of the day, the bull doesn't know about sexes, age or body shape,' Martinez said. 'It doesn't matter if you are woman.' Every year, thousands of people line the medieval streets of Pamplona to witness the centuries-old tradition of running with bulls. Many watch from balconies and wooden barricades along the course. Millions more follow the spectacle on television. Women bull runners are rare, though Martínez and other women taking part in the adrenaline-fueled tradition as more than mere spectators say it's growing in popularity. 'There are times I feel small. And ask myself 'what am I doing here?' Because, although you may not want to, you do feel slightly inferior because of your physique,' said 32-year-old Sara Puñal, an administrator who took part in Sunday's run. 'But in the moment, you are all equal,' Puñal said of the run. The bulls pound along the twisting cobblestone streets after being led by six steers. Up to 4,000 runners take part in each bull run, which takes place over 2,775 feet and can last two to four minutes. The expert Spanish runners try to sprint just in front of the bull's horns for a few seconds while egging the animal on with a rolled newspaper. Gorings are not rare, but many more people are bruised and injured in falls and pileups with each other. 'I think many have a desire to see what it feels like, but they don't try because of fear,' said Paula López, 32, a shop assistant who also took part in a run earlier in the week. López said she grew up in the masculine world of bullfighting. She wasn't fazed by how few women take part in the event. 'It's complicated, but it is pretty exciting,' López said. The event's reputation took a hit years ago after complaints by women about having suffered sexual harassment and abuse from revelers. In 2016, five men raped an 18-year-old woman during the festival in an infamous case that sparked an outcry across Spain. The men, who had a WhatsApp group named 'La Manada,' or 'The Animal Pack,' were imprisoned for 15 years by the Supreme Court in 2019. Since then, organizers have said they've stepped up security measures. Women didn't participate in the bull runs until 1975 because of a decree repealed one year earlier that prohibited women, children and the elderly from being in the streets where the bulls run during the festival. The spectacle was made internationally famous by Ernest Hemingway's classic 1926 novel 'The Sun Also Rises,' about American bohemians wasting away in Europe. Oses and Naishadham write for the Associated Press. Naishadham reported from Madrid.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
At Pamplona's San Fermín festival, a tiny minority of those who run with bulls are women
PAMPLONA, Spain (AP) — Dressed in the traditional bull runner's garb of a white shirt and red neck-scarf, Yomara Martínez, 30, sprinted in the death-defying morning run or 'encierros' taking place this week in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona. Yet despite being in a crowd of thousands, Martínez was among only a handful of women daredevils running with the stampeding bulls at the San Fermín Festival. 'At the end of the day, the bull doesn't know about sexes, age or body shape,' Martinez said. 'It doesn't matter if you are woman.' Every year, thousands of people line the medieval streets of Pamplona to witness the centuries-old tradition of running with bulls. Many watch from balconies and wooden barricades along the course. Millions more follow the spectacle on television. Women bull runners are rare, though Martínez and other women taking part in the adrenaline-fueled tradition as more than mere spectators say it's growing in popularity. 'There are times I feel small. And ask myself 'what am I doing here?' Because, although you may not want to, you do feel slightly inferior because of your physique,' said 32-year-old Sara Puñal, an administrator who took part in Sunday's run. 'But in the moment, you are all equal,' Puñal said of the run. The bulls pound along the twisting cobblestone streets after being led by six steers. Up to 4,000 runners take part in each bull run, which takes place over 846 meters (2,775 feet) and can last two to four minutes. The expert Spanish runners try to sprint just in front of the bull's horns for a few seconds while egging the animal on with a rolled newspaper. Gorings are not rare, but many more people are bruised and injured in falls and pileups with each other. 'I think many have a desire to see what it feels like but they don't try because of fear,' said Paula López, 32, a shop assistant who also took part in a run earlier in the week. López said she grew up in the masculine world of bull fighting. She wasn't fazed by how few women take part in the event. 'It's complicated, but it is pretty exciting,' López said. The event's reputation took a hit years ago following complaints by women about having suffered sexual harassment and abuse from revelers. In 2016, five men raped an 18-year-old woman during the festival in an infamous case that sparked an outcry across Spain. The men, who had a WhatsApp group named 'La Manada,' or 'The Animal Pack,' were imprisoned for 15 years by the Supreme Court in 2019. Since then, organizers have said they've stepped up security measures. Women didn't participate in the bull runs until 1975 due to a decree repealed one year earlier that prohibited women, children and the elderly from being in the streets where the bulls run during the festival. The spectacle was made internationally famous by Ernest Hemingway's classic 1926 novel 'The Sun Also Rises,' about American bohemians wasting away in Europe. —— Naishadham reported from Madrid. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Euronews
2 days ago
- Sport
- Euronews
Women who run with bulls at Pamplona's San Fermín festival in minority
Dressed in the traditional bull runner's garb of a white shirt and red sash, Yomara Martínez sprinted in a recent death-defying morning run or "encierro" during the famous celebrations in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona over the weekend. Yet despite being in a crowd of thousands, Martínez, 30, was among a handful of women daredevils running with the stampeding bulls at the San Fermín Festival. "At the end of the day the bull doesn't know about sexes, age or body shape," Martinez said. "It doesn't matter if you are woman." Every year, thousands of people line the medieval streets of Pamplona to witness the centuries-old tradition of running with bulls. Many watch from balconies and wooden barricades along the course. Millions more follow the spectacle on television. More women encouraged to take part Women bull runners are rare, though Martínez and other women taking part in the adrenaline-fueled tradition as more than a spectator say it's growing in popularity. "I think many have a desire to see what it feels like but they don't try because of fear," said 32-year-old Paula López, a shop assistant who also took part in a run earlier in the week. López said she grew up in the masculine world of bull fighting. She wasn't fazed by how few other women take part in the event. "It is complicated but it is pretty exciting," López said. The bulls pound along the twisting cobblestone streets after being led by six steers. Up to 4,000 runners take part in each bull run, which takes place over 846 metres (2,775 feet) and can last two to four minutes. The expert Spanish runners try to sprint just in front of the bull's horns for a few seconds while egging the animal on with a rolled newspaper. Gorings are not rare, but many more people are bruised and injured in falls and pileups with each other. A clouded reputation The event's reputation took a hit years ago following complaints by women about having suffered sexual harassment and abuse from revelers. In 2016, five men raped an 18-year-old woman during the festival in an infamous case that sparked an outcry across Spain. The men who had a WhatsApp group named 'La Manada,' or 'The Animal Pack,' were imprisoned for 15 years by the Supreme Court in 2019. Since then, organisers have said they've stepped up security measures and amplified the police presence. Women were not able to participate in the bull runs until 1975 due to a decree that was repealed one year earlier.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
At Pamplona's San Fermín festival, a tiny minority of women run with bulls
PAMPLONA, Spain (AP) — Dressed in the traditional bull runner's garb of a white shirt and red neck-scarf, Yomara Martínez, 30, sprinted in the death-defying morning run or 'encierros' taking place this week in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona. Yet despite being in a crowd of thousands, Martínez was among only a handful of women daredevils running with the stampeding bulls at the San Fermín Festival. 'At the end of the day, the bull doesn't know about sexes, age or body shape,' Martinez said. 'It doesn't matter if you are woman.' Every year, thousands of people line the medieval streets of Pamplona to witness the centuries-old tradition of running with bulls. Many watch from balconies and wooden barricades along the course. Millions more follow the spectacle on television. Women bull runners are rare, though Martínez and other women taking part in the adrenaline-fueled tradition as more than mere spectators say it's growing in popularity. 'There are times I feel small. And ask myself 'what am I doing here?' Because, although you may not want to, you do feel slightly inferior because of your physique,' said 32-year-old Sara Puñal, an administrator who took part in Sunday's run. 'But in the moment, you are all equal,' Puñal said of the run. The bulls pound along the twisting cobblestone streets after being led by six steers. Up to 4,000 runners take part in each bull run, which takes place over 846 meters (2,775 feet) and can last two to four minutes. The expert Spanish runners try to sprint just in front of the bull's horns for a few seconds while egging the animal on with a rolled newspaper. Gorings are not rare, but many more people are bruised and injured in falls and pileups with each other. 'I think many have a desire to see what it feels like but they don't try because of fear,' said Paula López, 32, a shop assistant who also took part in a run earlier in the week. López said she grew up in the masculine world of bull fighting. She wasn't fazed by how few women take part in the event. 'It's complicated, but it is pretty exciting,' López said. The event's reputation took a hit years ago following complaints by women about having suffered sexual harassment and abuse from revelers. In 2016, five men raped an 18-year-old woman during the festival in an infamous case that sparked an outcry across Spain. The men, who had a WhatsApp group named 'La Manada,' or 'The Animal Pack,' were imprisoned for 15 years by the Supreme Court in 2019. Since then, organizers have said they've stepped up security measures. Women didn't participate in the bull runs until 1975 due to a decree repealed one year earlier that prohibited women, children and the elderly from being in the streets where the bulls run during the festival. The spectacle was made internationally famous by Ernest Hemingway's classic 1926 novel 'The Sun Also Rises,' about American bohemians wasting away in Europe. —— Naishadham reported from Madrid. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
2 days ago
- Sport
At Pamplona's San Fermín festival, a tiny minority of women run with bulls
PAMPLONA, Spain -- Dressed in the traditional bull runner's garb of a white shirt and red neck-scarf, Yomara Martínez, 30, sprinted in the death-defying morning run or 'encierros' taking place this week in the northern Spanish city of Pamplona. Yet despite being in a crowd of thousands, Martínez was among only a handful of women daredevils running with the stampeding bulls at the San Fermín Festival. 'At the end of the day, the bull doesn't know about sexes, age or body shape,' Martinez said. 'It doesn't matter if you are woman.' Every year, thousands of people line the medieval streets of Pamplona to witness the centuries-old tradition of running with bulls. Many watch from balconies and wooden barricades along the course. Millions more follow the spectacle on television. Women bull runners are rare, though Martínez and other women taking part in the adrenaline-fueled tradition as more than mere spectators say it's growing in popularity. 'There are times I feel small. And ask myself 'what am I doing here?' Because, although you may not want to, you do feel slightly inferior because of your physique,' said 32-year-old Sara Puñal, an administrator who took part in Sunday's run. 'But in the moment, you are all equal,' Puñal said of the run. The bulls pound along the twisting cobblestone streets after being led by six steers. Up to 4,000 runners take part in each bull run, which takes place over 846 meters (2,775 feet) and can last two to four minutes. The expert Spanish runners try to sprint just in front of the bull's horns for a few seconds while egging the animal on with a rolled newspaper. Gorings are not rare, but many more people are bruised and injured in falls and pileups with each other. 'I think many have a desire to see what it feels like but they don't try because of fear,' said Paula López, 32, a shop assistant who also took part in a run earlier in the week. López said she grew up in the masculine world of bull fighting. She wasn't fazed by how few women take part in the event. 'It's complicated, but it is pretty exciting,' López said. The event's reputation took a hit years ago following complaints by women about having suffered sexual harassment and abuse from revelers. In 2016, five men raped an 18-year-old woman during the festival in an infamous case that sparked an outcry across Spain. The men, who had a WhatsApp group named 'La Manada,' or 'The Animal Pack,' were imprisoned for 15 years by the Supreme Court in 2019. Since then, organizers have said they've stepped up security measures. Women didn't participate in the bull runs until 1975 due to a decree repealed one year earlier that prohibited women, children and the elderly from being in the streets where the bulls run during the festival. The spectacle was made internationally famous by Ernest Hemingway's classic 1926 novel 'The Sun Also Rises,' about American bohemians wasting away in Europe.
