Several people were trampled but not seriously hurt today as thousands took part in the first bull run of the San Fermin festival, dashing along the slippery cobblestone streets of the ancient city of Pamplona in northern Spain.
None of the runners was gored, and only four injuries were serious enough to require treatment.
Two bulls skidded and fell, as did some runners after a night of rain left the streets slippery.
"So far there aren't serious injuries, but there's a lot of people with little experience and we have a lot of work," said Mr Mikel Eusa of the Red Cross.
Policeman Jose Ramon said he prevented two Australians from taking part out of concern for their safety: "They had a lot to drink and I didn't let them by."
Fifteen people have been killed in the bull-running fiesta since 1910 and hundreds injured.
Foreigners from all over the world take part in the San Fermin festival made famous by Ernest Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, joining regular Spanish runners, five or six fighting bulls and a handful of steers. Nearly everyone dresses in the traditional white with red neckerchiefs and sashes.
AP