The Torrestrella ignored the runners

Just four runners taken away for medical treatment after this first running of the bulls of the Sanfermin fiestas

Photography: Luis Azanza

After a seven-year absence, the bulls from the Torrestrella bull ranch featured once again in a Sanfermin running of the bulls on the first day of this event in Sanfermin 2011. The bulls proved to be very noble and well-behaved and they hardly made any attempt to threaten to charge the runners despite the high number of runners to be found on all the stretches of the course. The whole run took just 2min.30sec.

The pack stayed close together accompanied by the bell-oxen until they safely entered the Estafeta stretch, without any of the animals crashing into the fencing at Mercaderes, and it was here that the tight group began to loosen somewhat. Some fine running could be seen here as the runners got in close to the horns as the bulls began to stretch out along this street.

Throughout the whole running there were lots of falls and slip-ups suffered by the runners, but only four runners required hospital treatment and these two with only slight injuries. It would seem that, on the feast day of the saint, his protective cape has worked once again.