Fast run at third Running of the Bulls, as one animal breaks away from herd

Despite the large crowd of runners who showed up for Pamplona’s third running of the bulls on Sunday, the encierro was remarkably fast: in two minutes and 22 seconds, the six fighting bulls from Puerto de San Lorenzo ranch in Salamanca – a stockbreeder who is a newcomer to this venue – had barreled down the 875-meter course separating the corrals from the bullring.

A dark brown bull named Huracán (Hurricane) stole the show as he picked up speed and broke away from the herd, stampeding down the cobblestoned streets while largely ignoring all the thrill-seekers around him. Carried by his own momentum, the 620-kilogram animal slipped and stumbled on the Telefónica curve, which slightly slowed down his final time.

Early medical reports show no gorings. A doctor at the local hospital in charge of dealing with encierro-related emergencies said that two people had been brought in with bruising to the chest and back, but that their condition was not serious.

The northern Spanish city of Pamplona is holding its world-famous Sanfermines, which include early morning runs between July 7 and 14.

Three runners were hurt during the first encierro on Friday, including two American citizens. On Saturday there were two gorings and 10 people injured in total; of these, five were US citizens and two French nationals.

Local authorities expect over 16,000 runners to participate in the encierros this year. There were 16,448 participants last year, municipal records show. Since 1910, 16 people have lost their lives at the Running of the Bulls.

English version by Susana Urra.