Jevan Jutagir, Managing Director, and Robert MacGeoch, Head of Account Management, at Red Advertising recently put Barbados on the map when they participated in the annual Running of the Bulls at the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, Northern Spain.

The annual festival is held between 7th -15th July with daily running of the bulls in which daredevils pit their running skills against 6 fighting bulls and 6 steers which are run through the streets of Pamplona.

This is an extremely dangerous and exhilarating test of bravery with 14 people having been killed since 1910.

The Nobel Prize winning author Ernest Hemingway famously wrote about the festival in his novel “The sun also rises”.

In the 2012 running of the bulls 4 people were gored and 34 injured with one goring and 5 injuries on the day (7th July) when the team from Red ran. This was on the first day of the festival against the very dangerous bulls of The Dolores Aguirre ranch from Seville which have been responsible for 15 gorings in only 14 runs at Pamplona.

Jevan commented on their achievement,

“For years I’ve wanted to run the bulls at Pamplona as I am a great fan of Hemingway and from young had admired the bravery of the runners. Finally, at age 46, mid live crisis hit and I decided it was time to tick this event off the bucket list!
My partner, and subsequent Team Manager, Donna reluctantly agreed with the words “You better do it while you can still run!” and Robert agreed to embark on this grand adventure so off we went!
After all, sometimes you have to take risks just to remind yourself how great it is to be alive!”

Robert added,

“When Jevan suggested we run the bulls I jumped at the chance! My strategy wasn’t to outrun the bulls but to outrun Jevan and keep him between me and the bulls. After all…who couldn’t outrun Jevan?
On the Friday we arrived, we walked the route proudly displaying our Bajan flag, mainly to scare of the myriad of hard drinking Aussies who had come for the festival, while we searched for Bar Estefeta where we were supposed to meet a certain “Frank” who had a club or Peyna that would show us the ropes. We never did meet with Frank but got warnings from various taxi drivers that we were crazy and to avoid running on Saturday because the bulls that day were especially ferocious and there would be too many runners that day.”

Jevan continued,

“So we formulated a strategy…spend the first Saturday just observing and never ever run in dangerous places, especially Mercaderes, La Cuerva de Mordida (The Corner of Death) and Estefeta.
True to form, we ended up doing everything we decided against, opting on the spur of the moment to run on Saturday so as to leave more time for the celebration afterwards! We also ran the most dangerous areas where there were no escape barriers!
The run certainly separated those with “cojones” from the others and the half an hour in the Town Square before the bulls were released was pure exquisite torture!
Our run itself lasted only 2 minutes 53 seconds but it seemed like hours!
I even met a stray bull and two steers head on just when I thought it was over and was heading back home! This was the same brown bull that later gored a man in Estefeta where Robert had run! My heart certainly skipped a few beats and I tested the escape barriers dirtying up my Abed’s Mensworld white jeans in the process! All in all, it was thrilling…a real shot of adrenaline and a total blast of life! We actually ran alongside the bulls while many other opted to stand by and watch them pass. In this we proudly represented Barbados and Red! Yes it was a bit different and not for everyone, but so are we!”