The fastest running of the bulls

Seven runners taken to hospital suffering from bruising after the record bullrunning from the El Pilar bulls (2min. 11sec.)

Photography: Iñaki Vergara

In just their third participation in the Sanfermin fiestas, the bulls from the El Pilar bull-ranch in Salamanca, featured in the fastest bullrunning in recent history since 1980 (2 min. 11sec.). It was also a very dangerous bullrunning, with a light-brown-colored bull by the name of "Resistón" which darted ahead of the pack just as the bulls entered Estafeta Street and it ran the rest of the course in front of the pack as it knocked over and charged several runners along this stretch and also at Telefónica and on the stretch leading into the bullring.

The pack of bulls had come out of the pens in a compact group tucked in behind the bell-oxen until they all reached the corner of Mercaderes. The runners had the chance to run close in front of the horns of the bulls in spite of the fast pace of the whole pack.

In Estafeta Street, "Resistón", the brown-colored bull, took up the starring role as it darted ahead of the rest and ran the rest of the distance alone at a furious pace. It knocked over a lot of runners and charged into anyone who tried to get in front of its horns all along Estafeta Street as well as across the Telefónica stretch and down into the entrance to the bullring, creating moments of intense tension and danger.

Coming up quickly behind, the rest of the pack did not threaten the runners to the same extent and they entered the bullring without creating any problems and headed straight for the pens after completing the fastest running of the bulls of this year and in recent history since 1980on record.