SUMMARY
- Thrill-seekers descend on Pamplona for the adrenaline-packed inaugural run of the San Fermín festival.
- Six participants sustain non-serious injuries as bulls charge through the city streets in the festival's first of eight races.
- The festival, brought into the limelight by Hemingway's 1926 novel, celebrates the 100th anniversary of the author's first visit.
Today, the northern Spanish city of Pamplona was alive with adventure and excitement as the inaugural run of the San Fermín festival commenced, attracting countless adrenaline junkies.
Amid the antiquated cobbled streets of Pamplona, festival participants darted about, attempting to avoid the powerful, raging bulls. At times, the massive beasts leapt into the spectator-filled areas, enhancing the palpable sense of thrill and danger.
During the run, six bulls, guided by an equal number of domesticated oxen, careered along a designated route within the city for approximately two minutes and thirty seconds before finally reaching the bull ring. Skilled bull runners, primarily local participants, took the daring lead, running just ahead of the bull horns before swiftly veering off at the last moment. The less seasoned, many of whom are foreigners, managed to barely escape the charging bulls, often resulting in chaotic tumbles with fellow runners.
The first race of the festival, held early Friday, saw six participants sustaining injuries. Fortunately, medical personnel on site confirmed that none of the injuries were serious. This inaugural race is the first of eight planned events. The remainder of the day typically involves indulging in food and drink, as well as taking part in a variety of cultural events.
The festival, which annually draws hundreds of thousands of tourists, owes much of its fame to Ernest Hemingway's iconic 1926 novel, "The Sun Also Rises". Interestingly, this year marks the centennial anniversary of Hemingway's initial visit to the festival. The bulls partaking in the morning run meet their fate in the afternoon at the hands of professional bullfighters.
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