San Fermín 1994: Miura ran third, and the Red Cross attended a record 107 runners

· Founder of Encierro, veteran bull runner

From the founder

Looking Back at 1994

Dennis Clancey · Founder, Encierro

Looking back at 1994, the scheduling decision that draws the most attention is Miura running third. In most years of the 1980s and 1990s, the Sevilla giants appeared in the second half of the encierro week, often in the closing slot. Running third on July 9 meant that by the time Miura appeared on the streets, the fiesta had only held two encierros. Runners who structured their week around Miura as a finale had to recalibrate completely, and those who were only able to attend a few mornings near the start of the week faced the most feared ganadería in Pamplona on what would have been a relatively early morning under any other year’s schedule.

The year also continued a pattern established in 1993: Cebada Gago opening the fiesta for the second consecutive year. Two years running, the most statistically dangerous herd in Pamplona’s lineup occupied the first slot. Osborne closed on July 14, providing a well-bred Jerez finale to a week that had Miura and Cebada Gago in its first three positions.

Dennis Clancey, Founder, Encierro

1994 in context

When the Calendar Refused to Wait

Miura ran the third encierro, on Saturday, July 9. The Red Cross attended 107 runners that morning, all with minor injuries, the most on record according to the Asociación de Empresarios de Hostelería y Turismo de Navarra.

The 1994 week put Cebada Gago on the opening morning for the second year running, with three runners seriously gored on July 7, according to El País, and Miura on the third, July 9. El País reported serious gorings again on July 10 with Pablo Romero and on July 12 with Torrestrella, then a clean, brilliant run by Osborne to close on July 14.

Morning by morning

Every 1994 Encierro, Day by Day

Each run with its ganadería. The route runs 848.6 meters from Santo Domingo to the ring.

The stories of 1994

What the Record Remembers

Ganadería

Miura Third: The Year the Calendar Refused to Wait

In 1994, Miura ran third, on Saturday, July 9, after Cebada Gago and Conde de la Corte. The Red Cross attended 107 runners that morning, all with minor injuries, the most on record according to the Asociación de Empresarios de Hostelería y Turismo de Navarra.

Trend

Two Consecutive Opens: Cebada Gago

Cebada Gago ran the opening encierro in both 1993 and 1994, according to El País reports of both mornings. In 1994 three runners were seriously gored.

Ganadería

Osborne Closes: When the Final Morning Is Not the Scariest One

In 1994 the closing encierro belonged to Osborne. El País reported a clean and brilliant run with no serious injuries.

The Official Cartel

San Fermín 1994 Official Poster

Cartel 1994 by Enrique Martín González.

Source: Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, cartel archive

Beyond the run

The City in 1994

The chupinazo opened the fiesta at noon on July 6; the Pobre de Mí at midnight on July 14 closed it.

The record

How 1994 Came Together

Key facts in the 1994 fiesta, kept on the record.

Questions and answers

San Fermín 1994, Answered

Why was Miura running third in 1994 unusual?

Miura ran the third encierro on July 9, 1994, after only two other runs. The Red Cross attended 107 runners that morning, all with minor injuries, the most on record according to the Asociación de Empresarios de Hostelería y Turismo de Navarra.

Did Cebada Gago open the fiesta in back-to-back years?

Yes. El País reports Cebada Gago running the first encierro on July 7, 1993 and again on July 7, 1994; in 1994 three runners were seriously gored.

Which ganadería closed the 1994 fiesta?

Osborne closed the 1994 fiesta on July 14, running the eighth and final encierro. El País reported a clean, brilliant run.

How does the 1994 goring total compare to the rest of the early decade, and were there any deaths?

El País reported serious gorings on July 7, July 10 and July 12, 1994, but gives no total for the week. There were no deaths in 1994, nor in any year from 1990 to 1994.

On the record

Sources

Every fact on this page is checked against these sources. Where sources disagreed, the one closest to the day won.

• El País, "La primera sangre del encierro", 1993-07-08. elpais.com
• El País, "El chupinazo abre la fiesta en Pamplona (portada)", 1994-07-07. elpais.com
• El País, "Tres heridos graves en el primer encierro", 1994-07-08. elpais.com
• El País, "Encierro limpio del Conde de la Corte", 1994-07-09. elpais.com
• El País, "Pánico y sangre en la cuesta de Santo Domingo", 1994-07-11. elpais.com
• El País, "Cornadas por las esquinas", 1994-07-13. elpais.com
• El País, "Salir en la foto, único trofeo para el corredor del encierro", 1994-07-14. elpais.com
• El País, "Un encierro de Osborne impone el colofón a las fiestas", 1994-07-15. elpais.com
• Público, "La víctima número 15 en la historia de los Sanfermines", 2009-07-10. publico.es
• Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, "Carteles de San Fermin". pamplona.es
• Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, "Encierro (turismo, French version)". pamplona.es

The archive grows

Planning your own run?

To see how the 1994 fiesta sits within the broader arc of the mid-decade encierro, see San Fermín 1995, or explore the route with the runners who have studied it longest.

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