The third Running of the Bulls of this year’s Sanfermines featured the José Escolar bull-ranch. There was a curious coincidence with last year’s event in that one of the bulls turned back almost as soon as it left the pens in Santo Domingo and started to run up the slope, just as one of the bulls did last year when it returned to the pens. However, on this occasion the bull did not manage to enter the pens and when some spare bell-oxen were released to “escort” the bull it renewed its run in the correct direction.
This loose bull was now very far behind the rest of the pack and it made a few charges at the runners and knocked some of them over as it began its run alone. However, it soon found a gap close behind the bell-oxen and began to ignore the runners as it ran at a fast pace in the direction of the bull ring.
It seems that there were just two gorings, one runner suffered a goring to the thorax at the end of the Santo Domingo stretch and is apparently in a stable condition.
Another runner received a jab to his arm at the Telefónica stretch. There were several runners treated for bruising and contusion but in general, today, the bulls did not show any real desire to charge the runners as they made their run to the bull ring.
Today’s Running of the Bulls event had begun with the curious sight of one of the bulls turning on its heels and running back towards the pens in Santo Domingo. The remainder of the pack stayed close behind the bell-oxen and made a fast clean run until they began to separate at Telefónica but they entered the arena close together and without creating much danger they made their way to the pens inside the bull ring. It took the final loose bull a couple of minutes more to reach the bullring and by the time this bull entered the pens a full four minutes has passed.