Spain´s running of the bulls ends with swift race, 6 hurt

PAMPLONA, Spain (AP) — Bulls from Spain´s revered Miura ranch starred in a fast and uncomplicated final running of the bulls at this year´s San Fermín Festival on Thursday.

The Navarra regional government said six people were treated for minor injuries following Thursday’s run that lasted just over two minutes. Initially, the Spanish Red Cross said two people needed treatment.

No horn gorings were reported as the Miuras, known for their alertness and speed of reaction, kept mainly in a pack and took little notice of the runners as they raced to the bullring.

One runner escaped serious injury when one bull´s horn appeared to graze the right side of his head before he fell to the ground.

The festival’s eighth and final 8 a.m. run saw hundreds of people, mostly men and far fewer than usual, test their agility to accompany six fighting bulls and their guiding steer along an 875-meter (956-yard) route through Pamplona to the city’s bullring. The bulls are killed by professional bullfighters later in the day.

Tens of thousands of visitors attend the Pamplona festival, which was immortalized in Ernest Hemingway’s 1926 novel “The Sun Also Rises.” The festival is also popular for its 24-hour partying.

During this year’s festival, which started July 6, four people were gored, none seriously.

Eight people were gored in 2019, the last festival before a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Sixteen people have died in Pamplona’s bull runs since 1910, with the last death in 2009.