Foto: Javier Mutilva
A very fast and agile fifth Sanfermin Running of the Bulls featuring the Jandilla bull-ranch that were almost on the point of breaking a new speed record in covering the whole course in just 2 min.13 secs. These Jandilla bulls proved to be true to their fame as very fast runners. While they are equally famous for causing injuries and gorings, on this occasion they caused little or no damage to the runners and it seems that none of the runners received a goring along the whole length of the course.
First reports from the Navarra Hospital Complex indicate that none of the runners suffered a goring and few of them have needed any kind of medical attention.
As soon as the bulls came out of the pens in Santo Domingo and started to race up the slope, they already showed considerable speed and three black bulls quickly raced ahead. A beige-colored bull was coming up behind these leading three bulls while the two remaining brown-colored bulls were both racing together, tucked in behind the group of bell-oxen. This extremely fast pace was kept up along the different stages and the beige-colored bull soon joined the other three black bulls as they entered Mercaderes.
Here at Mercaderes, there occurred an awesome moment, when a runner who had stopped at the fencing on the right side, was spectacularly tossed by one of the black bulls and the runner then fell onto the back of the beige bull coming up behind, before finally falling to the ground. However, the runner then slipped away under the fencing, apparently unscathed. The bulls were running so fast and straight that there was no time to charge or lunge at runners who found it difficult to run in front of the horns because of the frenetic pace of the animals.
Once in Estafeta Street, one of the black bulls raced ahead alone at a dazzling pace. This bull entered the bullring at a time of just 1 min. 59 secs. By the time the other bulls raced into the arena and away into the pens, the whole event had taken a total time of just 2.min.13 secs. Were it not for a few slippery moments on the Mercaderes stretch, it is very likely that these rapid bulls would have broken a new record for the fastest ever Sanfermin bullrunning.