José Escolar bulls charge through packed fifth San Fermín run, leaving one runner gored in the face and 14 injured

The fifth encierro of the 2026 San Fermín festival turned into a chaotic and dangerous two-minute, 36-second sprint through Pamplona's streets on Saturday morning. Bulls from the Ávila-based José Escolar Gil ranch, running their tenth edition in the festival, charged through a massively crowded course, leaving a trail of fallen runners and multiple injuries.

A fast and disorderly run from the start

The bulls left the corrals at Santo Domingo at 8:00 a.m. sharp after the three chants to San Fermín. The herd initially stayed together, guided by the bell-oxen, but the compact pack quickly began to break apart. A bull with a very wide head split from its brothers heading up the Santo Domingo slope, taking the lead with an aggression that put runners in immediate danger. The run, held on a Saturday and in high temperatures, saw a huge influx of participants that turned the 850-metre course into an obstacle course.

In the City Hall area, races were compromised before it ran over a significant number of runners on the right-hand side.

Mercaderes curve becomes the critical point

The most severe injury occurred approaching and through the notoriously sharp Mercaderes curve. The lead bull struck a veteran runner and then slammed into the wooden barriers. In the chaos, one runner received a penetrating horn wound to the face. Another became trapped between a bull and a bell-ox, escaping with a sprint just as the rest of the herd bore down. Medical services recorded the face goring in the Mercaderes section, making it the second horn injury of the 2026 festival.

The bull attacked a veteran runner and then crashed into the boards.

Pile-ups and falls along Estafeta and Telefónica

On the Estafeta stretch, the herd stretched out but remained united under the fast bell-oxen. More falls occurred here and into the narrowing at Telefónica, where the sheer number of bodies led to multiple pile-ups. Despite the crush, reports described the bulls showing "impressive nobility" by not targeting downed or stationary runners. The herd eventually split into two groups toward the end of Estafeta, allowing some runners to get close to the horns.

Injury report and medical response

Official figures on the total injured varied among sources, with reports citing between 9 and 14 treated. The most detailed count recorded 14 injured runners: one face goring, one non-penetrating face wound, and the rest contusions, including several cranial traumas. Nine were transferred to the University Hospital of Navarra, and four were treated in the bullring itself for maxillofacial contusions, a wrist injury, and a foot contusion. The first medical bulletin noted a cranial contusion at Santo Domingo and a thoracic contusion at the City Hall.

The fifth running of the bulls at the 2026 San Fermín festival, starring the bulls of José Escolar Gil, has left a balance of thirteen runners injured.

Afternoon bullfight awaits

Later in the day, starting at 6:30 p.m., the six bulls (weighing between 570 and 615 kilos) will be fought in the bullring by matadors Antonio Ferrera, Isaac Fonseca, and Juan de Castilla. The José Escolar ranch won the award for the most complete bullfight of 2025, raising expectations for the evening corrida.