The world's scariest sports

By Lena Katz

updated 3:25 p.m. ET Dec. 3, 2007

“When you run the bulls in Pamplona, the point is not to race them — it’s to catch them, to face them as long as you can.”

So says 61-year-old Spaniard Carlos Gil, and he should know. Gil has been running the bulls since the age of 18, and has seen the event evolve from a unique local tradition into the world-famous televised spectacle it has become. Whereas young Americans or Europeans might run once or twice — thereby earning a lifetime of bragging rights back home — Gil runs each of the eight mornings of el encierro (literally, “the enclosing") during the Festival of San Fermin in Navarre, Spain, every year. He has run every section of the half-mile itinerary — from the exciting first sprint, through the crowded cobblestone midway, to the final exhilarating stretch leading into the bullring.

Of all the thrilling components of the Pamplona run, Gil’s favorite is that first moment — which takes place just 150 yards away from the stable where the bulls sleep.

“When we hear that first firecracker,” Gil explains, “it means the first bull has left the stable, and we start moving forward. When we hear the second, it means the last has left. I wait and count about 8 seconds. Then I turn around, and usually the bulls are there.”

Gil has been running with the same group of locals for decades. Armed with only a newspaper to distract one of the beasts in the event of a catastrophe, they run in place in the middle of the street until the bull is just a yard or two away — before diving to one side, away from the animal’s horns and hooves.

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Meanwhile, spectators from all over the world line the streets and pack the bullring, cheering on friends and screaming warnings to the runners in the greatest peril.

Pamplona’s Running of the Bulls is just one of several high-adrenaline spectacles that have begun to draw onlookers and participants from among the world’s highest income brackets. The dual thrills of cultural discovery and physical danger prove irresistible to alpha-level achievers who thrive on risk.

And then there's elephant polo, a more genteel variation on the traditional sport of equestrian polo and one that's played in India and Southeast Asia. Naturally, elephants are a lot slower than horses; so that means the matches are more about pageantry and fun than actual competition.

“Elephant Polo has historically been one of India’s ultimate royal experiences,” says luxury tour operator Kim Mitchell of Asia TransPacific Journeys. “The colossal size of the elephant — its playful antics, graceful gait and the wisdom of its eyes — move all who are lucky enough to take part in this event.”

Richard Eyre / istockphoto As if plunging off a craggy precipice wasn’t dramatic enough, Acapulco’s La Quebrada Cliff Divers have added a few twists to this breathtaking sport, incorporating duo dives and torch dives into their nightly program.

Mitchell often brings guests to the polo fields, either to play or to watch. “You can do the whole white-glove, champagne, hors d’oeuvres thing. There’s betting going on, and it takes place on the grounds of an old palace.”

Of course, most extreme sports competitions take place in extreme conditions, without the benefit of a roof or stadium seating for audience members. Take, for example, the SCORE Baja 1000, an off-road race (featuring all manner of engine-blasting vehicles, from motorcycles to VWs to buggies) that traverses the entire length of the Baja Peninsula. The race takes an entire week to run, but spectators mainly flock to the finish line, located just outside of Cabo San Lucas.

Then there’s the downright perilous sports — like cliff diving. So dangerous that it’s rarely sponsored by a company or sanctioned by a governing body, cliff diving is nonetheless one of the most exciting sports to witness, even if your vantage point is set hundreds of feet back from the action.

The divers of La Quebrada in Acapulco are arguably the sports most celebrated stars. For more than six decades, these daredevil human missiles have wowed tourists with their graceful — and incredibly dangerous — freefall descents. From cliffs nearly 150 feet high, the divers plummet into the sea, often performing flips or other tricks on the trip down.

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