For 600+ years, Pamplona, Spain has been the scene of a rather wild event — the running of the bulls. It's all part of the San Fermin Festival, which is held July 7-14. Each morning at 8 AM, six bulls are let loose from the pens where they are held overnight and funneled into the streets where thousands of runners (traditionally men only) await to race with them to the bullfight arena. Last year, one man, Daniel Jimeno Romero, died after being gored by a charging bull; it was the first injury in 14 years and brought the number of deaths to 15 since record keeping began in 1924.

Today, nine runners were injured, three by goring — making this the bloodiest run this year. Apparently the reason injuries were greater in this race than the ones on previous days was because one of the bulls fell and became separated from the others; this caused the bull to become disoriented and caused panic among the runners.

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has long protested this event — which almost always leads the bulls through the 930-yard course and into the central bull ring where the 1,100 pound animals will face matadors and almost certain death.
http://www.runningofthenudes.com/index.asp

One of the world's most famous walks — the 500-mile pilgrimage trail of Camino de Santiago, travels through Pamplona in its early stages. It's a beautiful city and you might enjoy visiting it during a less crazy time rather than during the San Fermin festival when the city's population swells from 185,000 to nearly one million.

I recommend that hikers who are undertaking the Camino de Santiago from the French/Spanish border in the Pyrenees to the holy city of Santiago de Compostela schedule their walk, including a stop in Pamplona, for spring or fall (when the weather tends to be milder and the crowds less of an issue.

Details and Resources:
Travelers from the S.F. Bay Area to Madrid, Spain will find many flights daily. Click here for Iberia or travelocity. 

Getting to one of the small villages (Jean Pied du Port, FR or Roncesvalles, SP) in the Pyrenees is more complex. Click here to find a good starting point for looking at options for reaching these trailheads. Susan Alcorn's website has a great deal of information about the Camino routes. 

Further coverage of the Running of the Bulls events:
And here for photos. 

Buen Camino,
Susan "Backpack45" Alcorn