Fast, clean and boring third bull run of Victoriano del Río’s noble bulls in San Fermín | Culture

As is typical of Victoriano del Río bulls, the third run was fast – two minutes and 27 seconds, just seven more than last year – clean and boring, in keeping with the usual behaviour of animals that are characterised, first, by their nobility, and, second, by their status as elite athletes in the bullfighting sector.

The best proof of this is the first medical report, which states that only two people have suffered bruises, both on the face, and none of the riders have felt the coldness of the horns on their skin.

These bulls run through the streets of Pamplona as they have done repeatedly through the Madrid pastures, grouped together, with their gaze fixed on the horizon and with the sole objective of reaching the finish line as soon as possible and enjoying a well-deserved rest.

The only difference in this case is the swarm of people in red and white who block their way, drive them crazy, get in their way and get in their way when they, the bulls, have no other intention than to run like crazy to get to who knows where.

So the excitement of a bull run like the one on Tuesday is down to the young men – very few young women are seen in front of the bulls – who knock each other down, there are repeated falls, and the danger comes from the avalanche of runners in certain areas and from the imprudence or lack of knowledge of some of them.

As if by chance, four young men appeared on the boards that close the descent of Mercaderes and open Estafeta, the very place where the bulls usually crash into the wood due to the inertia of the race. They were saved by a miracle because the animals, smarter than them, stopped in advance and avoided the fall.

The race had begun, as every morning, with up to four steers leading the way and five bulls closing the pack, frightened in the first few metres on an unknown uphill path. Then, the humans would appear, and the herd tightened and thus reached the start of Estafeta.

And yet another morning, at this point, the most athletic show their physical condition and allow the pack to stretch. But not a bad gesture, not a defeat, not a goring… Falls and tumbles because the runners pile up on each other, but nothing more.

In the Telefónica area and at the entrance to the alley, there was the usual crowd, some bulls that inevitably moved to the right of the fence and pushed there, because those who prevent them from continuing on their way had no other choice. Some runners had a big scare, and it is hoped that they will learn for the next occasion.

The six bulls were happy when they reached the ring, eager to lose sight of the annoying humans, unknown to them, but who, fortunately, they were able to avoid without any major setbacks.

Poco Sol, Cantaor, Esperón, Aturdido, Campanilla and Toledano, weighing between 545 and 620 kilos, are now resting in the corrals of the bullring. The six Madrid bulls that will be fought this afternoon by Sebastián Castella, Emilio de Justo and Ginés Marín.

A bull run that will not go down in history for its dangerous excitement is behind us. This is what noble bulls that are regulars at the races have.