mod (Andy) note: "Blast from the past - Best of Eddie" If there's an old post from Eddie you'd like to see up again shoot me a message.
Some of you might remember a post I wrote at the end of last year about goals for 2010. My primary goal for the year was to drop about 50 pounds, and my reward for doing so would be running with the bulls in Pamplona Spain in July. So far, I've dropped about 20 pounds, and I'm really looking forward to the run.
A couple of my buddies have decided to run with me, and I got to thinking that it might be cool to extend the invitation to WSO readers. It could be a once-in-a-lifetime type experience, and it might be a lot of fun to put a bunch of douchey finance types in front of a couple dozen enraged bulls. If nothing else, it might be good resume filler and something to talk about with interviewers who will no doubt be jealous.
NOTICE: This is in no way, shape, or form endorsed by Patrick or Wall Street Oasis; so when one of you half-sissies gets gored by an angry bull don't start screaming for a lawyer. If you're interested in maybe putting something together, contact me offline at [email protected]. I'm talking about man shit here, gentlemen.
In case you're wondering what you might be getting yourself into, this video should get you fired up:
Holy shit at the guy crossing the road!!1
nothing is better than seeing mother nature get vengeance
The guy crossing the road got TOSSED by that bull.....
If you like animals getting revenge videos, this is the best one ever. This bull leaps into the stands and starts fucking people up:
Why would anyone want to put themselves through this. Lose 50 pounds: sure, run Ironman: maybe, run with 1000lb monstrocities that actively seek to punish you: doesn't seem like much of a reward for losing 50 pounds. Hell, I'd put on more weight...
Fair enough. Some people just don't get it.
I might actually take you up on this, but only if you put on those 20lbs. you lost and then some. I don't need you outpacing me when there's a wild animal on our tails.
If it makes you feel any better, one of the buddies joining me is going about 275 these days. In the interest of full disclosure, though, he's the type that would throw you between him and the bulls without a second thought.
Holy crap this looks like fun. Consider that less than .01% of people who run with the bulls actually get injured... The odds are like playing a reverse lottery, where only a lucky few end up losing. But everyone gets to say they ran with the bulls at the end of the day.
hehe "bull market"...
let's make this an annual tradition and wrestle a bear next year
I've run with the bulls, and it doesn't have to be as crazy as it sounds. You can be in one of 3 different groups:
The "easy" group, which is the furthest away from the bulls starting point. Any tourist can do this.
The "medium" group, this is the group I chose, and there are lots of places to duck and hide. Still, you need to be able to run.
And finally, the "absolutely insane" group, which starts closest to the bulls. Pure madness.
Don't worry Uncle Eddie, I'll run with the bulls with you. Only if we go in the "absolutely insane" group though. We'll go to the loony bin together, I don't give a fuck.
Trust me, bro. That's the only group I'm interested in...
[Deleted! No longer relevant.]
I like what Edmundo Braverman brings to this forum with his market knowledge, but I will have to pass up on this.
i've been to pamplona for running of the bulls. it's almost impossible to actually "run" with the bulls. they run for about 5-10 minutes at 7am and there are so many people that you hardly get a chance to get even close to them.
but the experience is once in a lifetime and something i will never forget
Interesting. When is it in July?
The festival is July 6-14, and there is a bull run each morning. Oddly enough, animal rights activists gather on the 5th for a "Running of the Nudes" in protest. It's exactly what it sounds like - a bunch of naked people running through the streets of Pamplona.
I'm shooting for the weekend of the 9th-11th.
Monkeyinhumansuit
I nominate this as the most creative name name on WSO
hm i will be getting my compostela that week. maybe i should join you edmundo braverman. two experiences at the opposite ends of the spectrum...
Your Compostela? Shit, dude, that's a much bigger accomplishment than running in front of bulls for ten minutes or so. I actually thought about doing the same thing two years ago, and just arranging it so I'd be near Pamplona during the festival so I could get a run in, but it didn't work out. Now that I've got two kids, the Compostela is out for me (until they're 16 or so and can do it with me). Are you doing the whole thing?
ah, edmundo braverman, i wish. but unlike you, i am not a retired millionaire! i can only spare so many days.
i will try to get in around 250 km. i will be with another person. we will push ourselves to do 30-35 km a day, which is aiming a bit high because of the terrain, but i think doable. i want to sleep under the stars when it doesn't look like rain, and walk at least a couple of nights if the moon is out and the path is solid. after getting the Compostela, we will hit up finisterre.
i don't know. those bulls look mean and it would be fun to run with them. wish i could do both. long time ago i was on a safari and a rogue bull elephant chased after me in the bush. it was more fun than skydiving i'll give you that i still remember it well! and the bulls that try to kill you will be fast...
both experiences sound great. one is civilizational, the other primitive. i am sure your trip will entail a lot more than those 15 minutes. have fun in yours. i am definitely really looking forward to mine.
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I'm doing this next year. I planned to go travelling through Spain this summer with a few buddies but am unfortunately scheduled for knee surgery in August after a college football injury flared up. I would be nothing but a sitting schmuck this year after a minute or two. Good luck Mr Braverman.
This entire thread is a metaphor for the stock market...
Although something about a bull horn through the ass makes the metaphor slightly less...relevant.
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