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For an executive who runs a company that protects people and businesses against calamities, Al Purmort Jr. has quite the risky bucket list.
The president of Sarasota-based Al Purmort Insurance, Purmort has three experiences in particular he considers must-dos: bridge bungee jumping in a place like Chico, Calif.; skydiving; and participating in the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. “You wake up one day and you realize you aren't 22 anymore,” says Purmort, who recently turned 45. “Now is the time.” That epiphany is why Purmort found himself on a plane for Spain in early July. The next day he ran with the bulls. Here's a recount of Purmort's bucket-list trip.
Aim high: Purmort says he's an adrenaline junkie. He goes extreme skiing in California, and when he was younger, growing up in Sarasota, he and some friends pushed their limits. They would skateboard down hills and, when he got older, ride motorcycles. “But there were only so many options,” Purmort says. He also played baseball, football and soccer.
Teenage dreams: The bull run idea, says Purmort, stems from the first time he read Ernest Hemingway's classic book, “The Sun Also Rises.” Purmort was 17. The 1926 novel follows American and British friends who go from Paris to Pamplona for the Running of the Bulls.
Just do it: Purmort, whose firm handles personal and commercial insurance lines and does around $3 million a year in revenues, says he's not much of a planner when it comes to trips. He booked the excursion only a few months in advance. He traveled with two fraternity brothers from Florida State.
Heavy breathing: The event Purmort ran in is part of a seven-day festival. About a dozen bulls are let go for each run, along a series of cobblestone streets and narrow roads that lead to a bullring/arena in the center of town. Purmort ran in it one day. It lasts about five minutes, and Purmort estimates he ran the distance of four or five football fields. He wore New Balance running shoes. He also wore white shorts, a white T-shirt and a red bandana, per the rules. A guy next to him, recalls Purmort, wore flip-flops.
High volume: One of the first things Purmort noticed about the experience was the noise. Starting cannons got it all going. Then participants yell and scream while they run and the spectators, around 15,000 people packed on the sides of the streets, engage in a sing-along. Even mariachi bands can be heard in the background, Purmort says. “The starting gun goes off,” says Purmort, “and you feel the vibration of the streets.”
When in Spain: Several participants seemed drunk, or close to it, before and during the run, says Purmort. Many had been drinking all night at local pubs and bars — even though the event bans participants under the influence of alcohol. The runners, says Purmort, were mostly male. They came from London, Belgium, Paris and Cologne, among other European towns.
Stand your ground: Past noise and inebriated participants, a big factor in the run is the crowds. Tall and lanky, Purmort says one focus was to avoid being pushed around. “It's not the bull that will get you down,” says Purmort. “It's the wall of people around you.” That wall got to Purmort toward the end, in the narrow tunnel that leads to the bullring. “The tunnel is the hardest part,” Purmort says. “I slipped. There is nowhere to go.”
Check it off: Purmort says the adventure was an amazing life experience. “It's almost like a drug,” he says. “When you are done and in the stadium, you want to get right back in and do it again. I'm really glad I did it.” The one person in Purmort's life who might not totally share his enthusiasm is his mom. Says Purmort: “I don't talk to her much about these things.”
Follow Mark Gordon on Twitter @markigordon
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