Three injured, one from a goring, from the final running of the bulls for this year
The final running of the bulls of Sanfermin 2007, with bulls from the Victorino Martín bull-ranch, was fast and clean (2 min. 49 sec.). Only three people required medical treatment at the public hospitals of Iruñea/Pamplona, one with a jab from the horns to his thigh and two others with slight injuries. The pack came out of the pens in Santo Domingo already separated as two bulls were slow to exit the pens. This allowed the runners to do some fine running close in front of the horns on all the stretches of the course.
Contrary to normal practice, the bulls failed to come out of the pens in a compact group. Two bulls were slow to exit and were left behind by the bell-oxen and four leading bulls. The two rear bulls ran together over the whole course. The four leading bulls were turning their heads left and right looking at the runners without charging. But just entering City Hall square one bull on the right jabbed a runner in the thigh and this seems to have been the only runner gored today.
There was a momentary scare as the animals entered the Mercaderes stretch when, on the left side, one of the bell-oxen glanced a runner with its horn beside the wall. Luckily, the bulls took no notice of the runner and the animals all charged ahead at a good pace.
At the corner of Mercaderes a lot of runners were slipping up and falling. However, the bulls did not slip up or crash into the fencing and they entered Estafeta without paying any attention to the fallen runners. The leading group stayed the same, with four bulls and the bell-oxen. Further back the other two bulls were bringing up the rear. All the bulls were behaving nobly and hardly threatened to charge at the runners.
In Estafeta Street the distance between the bulls stretched out a bit further and this allowed the runners to find space close in front of the horns to do some eye-catching running. Here, one of the leading bulls slipped up and fell and got separated from the others for the rest of the course. The runners continued to shine and it may be said that the final running of the bulls at least has ended leaving a good taste in the mouth for the participants.
The bulls came into the bull rang in a long file and once again the “dobladores” with their cape work were quick to lead the bulls immediately towards the pens, preventing any danger for the large number of runners gathered inside the bull ring.
