Sixth running of the bulls of San Fermín | Bulls from José Escolar

The bullfighting precedents, with several escapes and incomprehensible reversals in the initial stretch, and the threat of rain and a very slippery surface, had raised concerns among the runners. At least among those who at least have the courtesy to know the cattle that are released each day. The fears, of course, were well-founded: Escolar 's bulls are no better. Or, as one retired (or not) politician would say, they are even worse.

But the fears proved unfounded: Escolar was perhaps the most spectacular running of the bulls, easy for the runners, and at a relatively slow speed. Perhaps the wet surface made the animals insecure, and they didn't give their all in the race.

This relative pause has led to unusual circumstances from the start. For example, seeing two bulls opening up on the right at the start of Santo Domingo , where a young man was run over by part of the herd under the Santo niche after a fall.

Here only two steers have been part of the herd and the other four have been left behind from the start.

The cárdenos have regrouped with four bulls ahead of them, leaving beautiful and unusual images in this section, with clean, intense races, the kind they will tell their friends about after dinner in a few years.

The march proceeded without any major incidents through the Town Hall square to the Estafeta curve , where surprisingly none of José Escolar's bulls collided with the fence, which gives an idea of how aware the bulls were that the wet ground could make them slip. Just as they were leaving, one of the lighter-colored bulls charged with determination. Two young men were run over, and a small pile was created that was trampled by some of the bulls.

The battle of every day

That's when the daily battle for space among the more experienced runners began. Lots of pushing, shoving, and grabbing , but with fewer falls forced by fellow runners than on other days.

The composition of the herd was, once again, a luxury for all those who know what the running of the bulls is all about: four bulls, two steers, and two more. Or later grouped in pairs. In any case, there were plenty of opportunities to look for a bull... and find it.

At the end of the Estafeta the pace slowed down , as is logical, and José Escolar's men marched with great nobility: they let their heads be touched, they did not try to attack the newspapers that some runners offered them nor did they look at those who were hugging their hindquarters (bad, bad, bad).

The surprise came in the ring: Escolar's men entered the arena without the guidance of the steers and got lost. They looked at the crowd that had parted to the sides and searched the throng. Even the bullfighters found themselves in trouble. One of the bulls took three men in succession into the sand, and another finished off with his long, sharp horns, seeking the legs of those hanging over the fence for shelter. Without managing to gore anyone, according to the provisional Red Cross injury report.

With these final incidents, the race didn't end until the two-minute, 40-second mark. The running of the bulls, incidentally, was delayed two minutes due to an incident with a cornice in Santo Domingo.