San Fermín 2005: The Running of the Bulls
July 6 to 14, 2005. The year Fuente Ymbro made their Pamplona debut, Jandilla ran the slowest encierro in their history at 5:33, and the fiesta returned to something closer to normal after two difficult years.
Looking Back at 2005
Looking back at 2005, it stands as the first fiesta in three years without a death or a record-setting disaster. After Fermín Etxeberria’s death in 2003 and the eight-gored Jandilla morning in 2004, the 2005 fiesta passed without adding either to the record, and that counted for something. The fiesta also brought Fuente Ymbro to Pamplona for the first time, a significant debut, given that ranch’s subsequent history on the course.
The year is also remarkable for Jandilla’s July 11 run, which lasted five minutes and thirty-three seconds, the slowest encierro in Jandilla’s history and one of the slowest in the modern era. A herd that usually runs fast and hard instead crawled through the course, a reminder that no two encierros, and no two mornings with the same ganadéria, are ever alike.
Dennis Clancey, Founder, Encierro
A Debut, a Record-Slow Run, and Relief
The 2005 fiesta came after two of the most difficult years in recent encierro history. By the standards of what preceded it, 2005 was a comparatively calm July, no fatalities, and none of the single-morning catastrophes that had defined 2003 and 2004. But it was far from uneventful. The Jandilla run on July 11 lasted 5 minutes 33 seconds, the longest and slowest encierro in Jandilla’s documented history. A slow run does not mean a safe run: the more time the animals spend on the course, the more unpredictable their behaviour becomes.
The other defining moment of 2005 came on July 13 with the first-ever Pamplona encierro run by Fuente Ymbro. The Cádiz ranch finished their debut in 2 minutes 34 seconds with 38 people treated for contusions, no horn gorings, but a fast, energetic morning that announced a ganadéria that would go on to become one of the most frequently selected ranches in Pamplona in the years that followed. See the full encierro record at the archive.
Jandilla’s July 11 run lasted 5:33, the slowest in their history. Fuente Ymbro debuted two days later with a clean 2:34.
Every 2005 Encierro, Day by Day
Eight runs, July 7–14, 2005. The route runs approximately 849 metres from Santo Domingo to the bull ring. See the route map.
Santiago Domecq
The 2005 fiesta opened with bulls from Santiago Domecq Bohórquez, a different branch of the Domecq family from the ranch whose single separated bull had held Estafeta for 11 minutes 57 seconds in 2002. A clean run to open the first fiesta in three years without either a death or a record-setting disaster.
Cebada Gago
Cebada Gago returned to the Pamplona course two years after their fatal July 8 appearance in 2003. The Chiclana ranch carries the highest gorings-per-run average in the modern encierro. The 2005 appearance, on the same calendar date as the 2003 tragedy, passed without a horn goring.
Dolores Aguirre
Dolores Aguirre Ybarra ran the third morning with their characteristically large and powerful Navarra bulls. Their 2004 appearance had produced four gorings; the 2005 Saturday passed without horn injuries.
Miura
Miura ran mid-fiesta in 2005 on a Sunday morning rather than in the traditional closing slot. The Sevilla ranch, the most historically significant ganadería in bullfighting, brought their characteristically large, independent animals to a course that had not yet seen a goring that week.
Jandilla
The slowest encierro in Jandilla’s documented history: 5 minutes 33 seconds. A ranch that had set the all-time gorings record just the previous year instead crawled through the 849-metre course. A slow run does not mean a safe run, the more time the animals spend on the open street, the more unpredictable their behaviour becomes. No horn gorings, but an extended period of exposure for every runner.
Juan Pedro Domecq
Juan Pedro Domecq ran the sixth morning, on the one-year anniversary of the eight-gored Jandilla record. Known for speed and herd discipline when the pack stays together. The 2005 appearance on this charged date passed cleanly.
Fuente Ymbro
Fuente Ymbro’s first-ever appearance in the Pamplona encierro. The Cádiz ranch completed their debut in 2:34, a fast, energetic morning with 38 runners treated for contusions but no horn gorings. The debut announced a ganadería that would go on to become one of the most frequently selected ranches in the Pamplona programme, eventually holding the record for the fastest encierro in history.
Victorino Martín
Victorino Martín Andrés closed the 2005 fiesta. The Galapagar ranch is known for producing bulls with a strong, independent character. The 2005 closer completed the first San Fermín in three years without a death or a record-setting catastrophe.
The Stories the Numbers Leave Out
Official Sanfermines Poster, 2005
Cartel: Gorka Aizpurua Serrano.
The 2005 San Fermín poster was designed by Gorka Aizpurua Serrano, selected through the Ayuntamiento de Pamplona’s annual poster competition. The work was announced in the spring of 2005 ahead of the July fiesta and displayed across the city in the weeks approaching the chupinazo.
The full archive of San Fermín official posters from 1846 to the present is maintained by the Ayuntamiento de Pamplona, cartel archive.
The official San Fermín 2005 cartel was chosen via the city’s annual poster contest, the concurso de carteles.
The City in 2005
The chupinazo opened the 2005 fiesta at noon on Wednesday, July 6, in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The nine days of the fiesta included the customary programme of Feria del Toro bullfights in the Plaza de Toros, the encierrillo the evening before each morning’s run, and the peñas, concerts and processions that fill the city through the night.
The 2005 fiesta arrived two years after the country’s extended national conversation about encierro safety that followed the Etxeberria death. Attendance remained at its customary level of approximately 1.5 million visitors across the nine days, and the international community of runners continued to grow. The fiesta closed at midnight on July 14 with the Pobre de Mí in the Plaza del Castillo.
How 2005 Came Together
The planning and key dates, kept on the record.
The winning poster by Gorka Aizpurua Serrano was announced. The eight ganadérias were confirmed: Santiago Domecq, Cebada Gago, Dolores Aguirre, Miura, Jandilla, Juan Pedro Domecq, Fuente Ymbro and Victorino Martín.
The chupinazo opened the 2005 fiesta at noon in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. The vallado along the 849-metre encierro route was in place.
The Jandilla encierro lasted 5 minutes 33 seconds, the slowest in the ranch’s documented history and among the slowest runs in the modern era. An extended run produces an extended period of danger for runners on the street.
Fuente Ymbro ran the Pamplona encierro for the first time. Their debut lasted 2 minutes 34 seconds with no horn gorings but 38 people treated for contusions. It was the beginning of a long association between the Cádiz ranch and the Pamplona programme.
Victorino Martín closed the 2005 fiesta. At midnight, the Pobre de Mí ceremony in the Plaza del Castillo ended the ninth day of San Fermín for the first time in three years without a death.
San Fermín 2005, Answered
Which ganadérias ran in the 2005 San Fermín encierro?
The eight ganadérias were: Santiago Domecq (July 7), Cebada Gago (July 8), Dolores Aguirre (July 9), Miura (July 10), Jandilla (July 11), Juan Pedro Domecq (July 12), Fuente Ymbro (July 13, debut), and Victorino Martín (July 14).
What was notable about Jandilla’s 2005 encierro?
The Jandilla run on July 11, 2005 lasted 5 minutes and 33 seconds, the slowest encierro in Jandilla’s documented history. The ranch is generally known for running fast, making the 5:33 an outlier in their record. A slow run is not a safe run: the animals spend more time on the open course, increasing the potential for encounters with runners.
When did Fuente Ymbro first run in Pamplona?
Fuente Ymbro’s first Pamplona encierro was July 13, 2005. The Cádiz ranch completed their debut in 2 minutes 34 seconds with no horn gorings and 38 people treated for contusions. They went on to become one of the most frequently selected ranches in the Pamplona programme in the following years, eventually holding the record for the fastest encierro in history.
Was anyone killed in San Fermín 2005?
No. The 2005 fiesta produced no deaths. This was significant given that 2003 had resulted in the death of Fermín Etxeberria Irañeta and 2004 had seen the eight-gored Jandilla morning. The last death prior to 2005 was Etxeberria, who died on September 24, 2003. The next encierro death after 2003 would not occur until Daniel Jimeno Romero on July 10, 2009.
Planning your own run?
2005 is part of the record. For what came before, see San Fermín 2004, or explore the full year-by-year archive.