Runner Gored in Face as Bulls Charge Through Pamplona Streets

One runner was gored in the face during the running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, Spain, on July 11. A black bull broke away from the pack early in the charge and struck the participant in the side of the face with a horn. Six bulls and accompanying steers ran the 957-yard course through crowds packed along the narrow streets.

The animals knocked bodies to the cobblestones and caused several pileups as runners stumbled. The run lasted two and a half minutes from the pen to the bull ring. Twelve additional people required medical treatment for knocks and injuries, according to the University of Navarra Hospital.

Many runners appeared unaware of the bulls behind them and were shoved aside rather than gored. Saturday’s event was the fifth morning run of the eight-day festival. This year marks 100 years since the 1926 publication of Ernest Hemingway’s novel “The Sun Also Rises,” which brought the festival international attention.

The last death during the bull runs occurred in 2009, though gorings and broken bones remain common due to the mix of novice runners and foreign tourists.