Once all the bulls and bell-oxen have passed, the runners can leave off running, but it is important to continue to keep alert. And the runners should remain alert until they hear the sound of the exploding rocket set off to announce that the entrance gate is closed and all the bulls are now safely inside the bullring (Check how the rockets are used as signals at Sanfermin.com). At the sound of this final rocket we now know that there is no chance that the bulls could turn back along the course from the bullring. Another rocket will then be set off to announce that the bulls are now safely in the pens. Finally, some of the harmless bell-oxen used as “sweepers-up” will now pass along the stretch of the course to join their brothers inside the bullring and which had earlier run with the bulls.

Along the length of the course of the running of the bulls there are two gates used to prevent the bulls from turning back, but things can happen and maybe the gates are not always able to be closed correctly. In these shots taken by Juantxo Erce we see how one of the straggling bell-oxen finds the Estafeta gate closed and the animal turns back.  In these snapshots from Iosu Pezonaga, Miguel Fernández and Mikel Lasa we can see how the animal ran at a very fast pace and knocked over some runners. The best thing to do in a situation like this is to keep apart and let the bull-minders do their work with the animal. Even though it is a meek bell-ox, it is an example of how things can go wrong and for the need to stay alert. Some of these animals are very heavy and just accidently running into a runner could cause the person some injury. And of course, if it is a bull which has turned back along the course, the situation is extremely dangerous – something which has happened in the past and caused some serious gorings.

Photo by Iosu Pezonaga

Photo by Miguel Fernández

Photo by Mikel Lasa

If a bull comes to a halt for whatever reason during a running it is normal for the runners to try to hail the animal to get it to move forward once more. This technique should be left to the experienced runners and to the bull minders. In any case, some important steps should be kept in mind.  First of all, the runners should respect the space created by the bull minders, the so-called pastores.  These bull minders know how the animals behave and they will try to rouse the animals with their rods.  Secondly, it is vital to try to keep the bull moving forward towards the bullring because the people in front are expecting the bull and aware of the situation. If a bull turns back it catches runners totally unaware of its presence as they are now more relaxed thinking that the bulls have all passed (Nevertheless, runners should always wait for the sound of the rocket that announces that the bulls are safely in the pens).

Hailing the bulls, as we can see in this series of shots taken by Xabi Lizarraga, should be made from the back to the front and from the start to the finish of the course. It is not possible to relate here how exactly it is done, because that comes with experience, but sometimes it is enough to circle around the space in front of the bull to prompt it to once more to run ahead and to complete the course inside the bullring.

There is a city hall ruling which fines anyone who touches the horns of the bull in the Pamplona running of the bulls. Today, we focus on a series of images shot by  José Ignacio Delgado and Miguel Fernández on the 7th of July,  2012 where we find a runner taking a voluntary grasp of the horns of a bull. This action is one of the most dangerous that can be made inside the course because it could cause a bull to turn back, or even worse, focus its sights on some other innocent runner who is  passing at the same time. In this particular case, we can see how the runner tries to reach for the horns and grasps them. The bull tries to twist out of the hold and causes the runner to fall awkwardly to the ground.

Here, we then see how a runner coming behind is now dangerously exposed to horns of the bulls and the bull runs the risk of being separated from the other bulls which is always a very dangerous situation. The runner who caused the incident also had pulled at the tee shirt of a runner beside him when he tried to reach the horns and this could also have caused a serious incident by unbalancing the innocent runner.

Contrary to what some people might say or believe, there are no safe places along the length of the course. The safe areas are on the other side of the fencing, well outside of the course. Statistics and repetitive situations cannot guarantee anything because there are so many possible unfolding factors that make the options almost infinite.  Even if the bulls have not charged along the left side of the fencing at city hall for several years, this does not mean that they won’t do it the next time out. The running of the bulls can develop in many different ways that means that anything can happen inside the course and mainly because the protagonists are six fighting bulls whose behavior is never easy to predict. As a reference let us look at this snapshot from Miguel Fernández to identify a particular area of the course.

We shall speak of several of these spots inside the course, but today we focus on the City Hall square and the fencing close to that building. And it must be said that there are sometimes three lines of people inside the course standing watching events from here. Their behavior is very dangerous for those who are running because runners can run into them and also because they block possible escape routes and, above all, it is dangerous for themselves as they are at the mercy of a charging bull should the animal take notice of them. In this snapshot from Carlos Mediavilla, taken on the13th of July, 2012 we can see how the standing group impede the escape route for two runners (in red and white tee shirts) who have been running properly and who are now ready to pull out.

The expression “Correr el encierro (Running, in the running of the bulls)” makes it pretty clear that this event means running a race. “A Running of the bulls” means exactly that – running against a pack of bulls.  And today, what should be particularly stressed is the fact that a runner cannot suddenly decide to stop running and stand and watch the bulls as they pass by, inside the course. This action puts the runner at a risk and puts other runners at a risk as they try to run past or find some way of exiting from the course. And these runners run the risk of suffering an injury as they charge into the torpid runners or of tripping over or even receiving a goring to their backs as they fail to reach the safety of the fencing because of these passive runners blocking the way. And very often a runner will rebound into the middle of the course after crashing into these inert runners, which makes the action even more dangerous.

In the series of photos taken by Mikel Lasa on the 7th of July, 2012 in Santo Domingo, we can see how a young man in a blue sweatshirt stands still at one side without making any attempt to run. A bull almost catches him with a charge of its horns and another one just skims past him. And it shouldn’t be forgotten that that same bull might cause an incident further ahead arising from the same kind of situation.

Once the bulls have got inside the bullring, the runners should immediately exit to the ringsides. The pack of bulls usually run straight ahead and the dobladores, with their capes in their hands can lead the bulls to the safety of the pens without too much difficulty. It is a ruling that nobody should shout or hail the bulls and the runners can be fined for doing so. A distraction made by one of the animals is especially dangerous here as the ground is filled with sand and it is very easy to slip up. Here the bull is at an advantage as the space is more open than in the street and his hooves have a more comfortable hold on the sand compared to the street. The bull can charge better and its movements are more efficient on this surface. Just as a runner can verify when, in 2012 he was gravely gored after hailing the bull in the ring when he should not have done so. Carlos Mediavilla is the author of this series of images which show the consequences of the imprudent action.

It cannot be stressed enough that any action which prevents the bulls from going towards the pens is creating a very dangerous situation. It is obvious that at this time there are many runners gathered inside the ring and they would be at the mercy of the bull and they would not find an easy escape exit should be bull run loose.