One Heck of a Run

Springfieldians up the ante on their annual guys’ trip and pack their bags for Spain to run with the bulls.

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Every year, Springfieldians Dennis Martinez and Dave Knetzer take a guys’ trip with their college buddy and Atlanta resident Steve Schatz. The trips always vary, from whitewater rafting to skiing. This past year, the three men, who are all in their mid 40s, decided to up the ante a touch. They would fly into Amsterdam, then to France and find their way down to the festival of San Fermín in the city of Pamplona, Spain for its most famous pastime—the running of the bulls. San Fermín is held each year from noon on July 6 to midnight July 14. The run is on the second day of the festival, and the near half-mile course ends at Pamplona’s arena Plaza de Toros. In the past 80 years 15 people have been killed running with the bulls and more than 200 have been seriously injured. —Tiesha Miller

One of the guys brought up running with the bulls, and we laughed it off. Next thing I knew we were in Amsterdam. We like to think of ourselves as Renaissance men. Every once in a while, life deserves a really stupid gesture. Steve and Dave are great guys. Steve is the perpetual bachelor. He’s a generous guy. His job is to travel the United States and put on promotions for a beer company. He just enjoys life. Dave is the co-owner of Oak Grove Construction and is married with two kids. We call him the leader of the group. In Spain everybody knew Springfield from The Simpsons, and we would point at Knetzer and say, “Homer.” Which always got a good laugh!

We arrive in Amsterdam on Saturday afternoon, July 1, 2006. We found accommodations from researching craigslist.com. We’re staying with Hennie Hemans at her bed and breakfast in the heart of Amsterdam. We arrive not knowing what to expect, however, we are tremendously surprised with the accommodations and Hennie’s generosity. This evening we go out to the red-light district of the city to see all of the action. We stroll through the district and are amazed at how vibrant and unique the sites are.

Day two we spend sightseeing the canal district and taking in all the festivities for the Rembrandt festival. It’s the artist’s 400-year anniversary, which is being celebrated throughout the city. The rest of the day, we check out a few of the pubs and coffee shops throughout the city. If you enjoy Amstel and Heineken, this is the city for you. Our impression of Amsterdam is that it’s one of the most beautiful cities we’ve ever been to. The canals and architecture throughout the city give it the European flair that you don’t see anywhere in the states. The people are extremely friendly and helpful to Americans.

On the evening of day three we spend our time in Cafe Chris, it is in the Bloemstraat and is oldest tavern (400 years old) in Amsterdam. We just enjoyed the nightlife before our train ride to Paris in the morning. Knetzer and I decide to see who will outrun whom for the running with the bulls late in the evening. We race 100 meters through the cobbled streets of Amsterdam. Dave pulls his hamstring. Now his run in Pamplona comes into question. (It could be an excuse because he was losing the race, or he’s tepid about running with the bulls.) Hennie has been an outstanding hostess, but we are off to Paris.

Day four begins with our train ride to Paris. Our day in Paris is pretty uneventful other than checking out the attractions before our train ride to Spain in the morning.

By day five, we’re all getting pretty excited about our trip to Spain. The train ride takes most of the day, and we meet several Spaniards, who have been to past San Fermín festivals. We arrive in San Sebastián, and it lies against the Bay of Biscay, with green mountains all around it. We all agree this may be the coolest city we’ve ever been to.

We spend the evening at a few of the pubs in the city. The Basque cuisine is famous within Spain, and many believe it is the Basque country where you can find the best food. Much of this fame comes from San Sebastián and its bars and restaurants. Although tapas were invented in Andalucía, they were perfected in San Sebastián. All of the bars have tapas, and they are very good. Tapas are generally enjoyed together with a glass of wine or a small beer, and the Spanish tradition suggests to have one tapa and a glass of wine in one bar and move on to the next bar. So that’s what we did.

Day six begins with our bus ride to Pamplona to get a guided tour of the course where the bulls will run through the city. Pamplona is an hour away from San Sebastián. We meet up with a guy named Gramme from the United Kingdom. We met him online, and he invited us several months before to take the tour of the course for a bottle of gin! He has actually run with the bulls for the past 10 years. The San Fermín festival is in full force. There are tens of thousands of people doing one thing, and that’s having a real good time! This has to be the biggest party on the planet during this particular week.