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Gored author of bull-running book will return to Pamplona

U.S. runner Bill Hillmann, 35, from Chicago, center left, falls seconds before a Spanish bull gored him on his right leg during the running of the bulls in Pamplona.
(Daniel Ochoa de Olza / AP)
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Bill Hillmann wrote about how not to get gored by bulls in Pamplona in “Fiesta: How to Survive the Bulls of Pamplona,” then got gored in Pamplona. And yet he plans to return to Spain’s annual running of the bulls, he writes in the Washington Post.

Hillmann, who grew up in a rough part of Chicago, writes, “I will keep running for another chance to lead a Spanish fighting bull up the street. When that happens, I become one with the fiercest, most majestic animal on Earth. And in those moments, I am at peace.”

After being gored in the thigh, Hillmann was hospitalized. He underwent surgery to remove pieces of horn and clothing from his leg.

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In his new essay, he recounts the goring:

“I had no room to escape when the bull charged toward me. I tripped over one Brit’s feet, and another slammed his hand into my back, propelling me toward the bull’s horns. Two of the Brits crisscrossed the animal while getting out of the way, while the third sputtered backward. The bull, named Bravito, meaning ‘fierce one,’ pierced his horn through my right thigh and lifted me into the air.”

The book “Fiesta: How to Survive the Bulls of Pamplona,” was meant as a how-to-guide for bullrunners, particularly novice English speakers. Edited by Alexander Fiske-Harrison, it also includes contributions from the mayor of Pamplona, Spanish bullrunners, and John Hemingway, a grandson of Ernest Hemingway, who helped popularize bullfighting internationally.

“Our goal was to give back to the fiesta we love so much by teaching newcomers how to run safer,” Hillman writes in the Washington Post.

Safety first.

Like passing notes in class; I’m @paperhaus on Twitter

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