A fast and clean running of the bulls on day one of San Fermín 2016

Clean and fast. With just three injuries, three to the head and a fourth to an arm, and lasting just two minutes and 28 seconds, the first running of the bulls at San Fermín 2016 passed with little incident, the bulls from the Fuente Ymbro stockbreeder in Cádiz being the taurine stars of the morning in Pamplona.

Without a huge number of runners, and with wet streets from heavy rainfall just an hour before the run, the tame bullocks took the lead at Cuesta de Santo Domingo, where just moments before the runners had called on protection from the patron Saint Fermín.

The bulls arrived at Mercaderes street at a good pace, and the group managed to take the corner at Estafeta without any falls or slipping

The bulls arrived at Mercaderes street at a good pace, and the group managed to take the corner at Estafeta without any falls or slipping. That is most likely thanks to a non-slip liquid used in the area, which, while avoiding incidents does tend to rob something of the spectacular nature of the run and denies the photographers a chance to capture particularly arresting images.

One of the fighting bulls took the lead down the straight, ramping up the speed, and followed closely by three of the bullocks and the rest of his companions. But the leading bull slipped and fell, and he was overtaken by the bullocks, who reached the Telefónica area first.

On the bend that leads to the door of the bullring, three bulls slipped to the right and mowed down a group of runners, who suffered blows and were trampled in one of the biggest moments of tension of the run.

In the end, a bullock was the first to reach the bullring, followed by just one of the fighting bulls, who ran straight across the sand and into the awaiting pen, followed closely by his companions.

In the end, it was a clean, attractive run, in particular in Estafeta street, and with just four injuries to report.

English version by Simon Hunter.