A Miami Beach man participating in Spain’s annual San Ferm\u00edn festival said he has no plans to stop taking part in the tradition despite suffering a compound ankle fracture during this year’s event.<\/p>\n
Ander Etxanobe was injured on the fourth day of the week-long festival, which draws thousands of participants to Pamplona to sprint ahead of charging bulls through the city’s historic, narrow streets.<\/p>\n
Etxanobe, who has participated in the event for nearly a decade, said this year’s run resulted in some of the most severe injuries he has experienced.<\/p>\n
“You can probably see my bicep area is pretty banged up,” Etxanobe said. “That’s just part of it.”<\/p>\n
He said he was diagnosed with a compound fracture in his ankle and traveled more than an hour away for treatment.<\/p>\n
“The entire herd, all the bulls, went right over me, plowed through me,” Etxanobe said. “Unforgivingly so.”<\/p>\n
Despite the injuries, Etxanobe said his motivation for participating is rooted in his connection to family heritage rather than adrenaline.<\/p>\n
“For me, when I run, I think about my journey with God,” he said. “I think about my family, who showed me the ropes and brought me up in the culture.”<\/p>\n
After nine years of running alongside the bulls, Etxanobe said the setback has not changed his outlook.<\/p>\n
“By no means does a broken leg or a broken ankle, in my case, or whatever it is, break my spirit, break my coraz\u00f3n, my heart,” he said.<\/p>\n
Etxanobe participated in four runs during this year’s festival before being injured. He said he is already planning to return to Pamplona next year.<\/p>\n