You Can't Run With The Bulls Wearing Google Glass, But A Travel Firm Got Two Explorers Close

A view of San Fermin through Glass (Credit: Authentic Voyages)

Thrill seekers have run with the bulls in the San Fermin festival in Pamplona in much the same way for centuries: six fighting bulls, hundreds of revelers, and a mad dash down medieval streets that can lead to injuries and, a handful of times, someone’s death. Also part of the formula—those who’ve lived the run trying to share with us (if not brag) about exactly what the run feels and looks like. First we could turn to writers like Hemingway, then runners’ videosand photos online. So it was inevitable that this year, someone would try to bring Google GOOG +0.08% Glass.

Running with the bulls while wearing Glass: Seems like a natural geek adventurer’s dream scenario. To try to make it happen, though, took an Australian-born Texan and former marketer, Mark Hellmann Regouby. In addition to a small Hong Kong-based marketing consulting practice, Regouby runs Authentic Voyages, a boutique travel agency focused on outdoor excursions in Australia, Peru and China. But Authentic’s network of Pamplona-themed travel sites is the lion’s share of its business, inspired by Regouby’s own early struggles to find housing for the July 6-14 festival during his first visit in 2004.

Now with 1,000 customers in Pamplona this year, Regouby reached out to Glass Explorers online and has brought two of them to the festival for free to wear their Glass around town—and hopefully run with the bull. 34 Explorers replied to the online #ROTBthroughGlass competition by its June 15 deadline. Noble NE +0.69% Ackerson and Liza Gere, two contestants who both overcame serious medical conditions in recent months, found out they won by Google+ Hangout.

The two winners are already on the scene at banquets and concerts around town, and Ackerson visited the Opening Ceremonies at Pamplona’s city hall with the mayor and other officials on Saturday. But that official presence has also meant that the most exciting potential for the competition, wearing Glass during the run itself, didn’t make it out of development.

While many runners have used GoPro devices to record their runs over the weekend without approval (YouTube hosts such videos going back to at least 2010), Regouby’s direct relationship with festival organizers prevented him from disregarding the festival’s ban on recording devices in the running of the bulls. While Authentic pushed for special exemption, it couldn’t swing it for this year at least.

Bulls run below in Pamplona through Google Glass (Credit: Authentic Voyages)

Regouby is open about his ambitions for a deeper relationship with Pamplona and sport-themed media and travel, so Authentic stayed above the waterline. Ackerson got an official press pass and he and Gere are instead wearing their glass and other local activities, while only wearing them only as spectators during the runs. Authentic is holding a daily webcast of what they see.

Ackerson says Glass’ voice-to-photo feature has proven useful during the festival, as well as its fitness and scheduling functionalities. “It’s been very useful on this trip for translating Spanish,” the Virginia native told FORBES by email. Ackerson ran with the bulls on Monday without his Glass. (Regouby for his part has run four times, but not since 2010.)

Translating help isn't quite the same as the incongruous sight of a runner wearing glass mid-throng. The possibility of running was a major selling point of the competition, and at its core this is still somewhat of a publicity stunt and innovative advertising for Authentic. The attention would not be positive if a Glass-carrying run by Ackerson had led to injury or other disaster, a risk Regouby knows was possible if an Explorer had run.