FOUR people have been left nursing their injuries after joining thousands of thrill-seekers running for their lives in the annual bull run in northern Spain.
The four injured daredevils were involved in the dangerous run as tourists and Spanish locals alike tested their agility and courage as they ran from the fighting bulls through the streets of Pamplona.
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What a shot! A runner goes for the ultimate selfie with a raging bull during the first race of the eight-day festivalCredit: AP:Associated Press
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One runner is pushed head over heels by a charging bull as others scramble away from the sceneCredit: AP:Associated Press
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An unlucky runner is pushed over by a raging bull as fellow runners, clad in white and red, look onCredit: AP:Associated Press
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Run for it! Thousands of thrill-seekers head to Pamplona, risking life and limb to run with the bullsCredit: Alamy
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Four people were injured in the crowd of thousands who tried to outrun furious bulls in the streets of northern SpainCredit: Getty Images
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Thousands of thrill-seekers ran with the bulls through Pamplona, with one tactic to try to stay as close to the bull as possibleCredit: EFE
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Four people were injured as they ran from the bulls with three suffering head injuries and another suffering an arm injuryCredit: EFE
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A wounded runner is quickly taken from the street as the festival continuesCredit: EFE
Navarra Hospital Dr. Manuel Montesino said three people suffered head injuries while another suffered an arm injury in the first run of 2016.
Many people suffered falls and were trampled on by the beasts or even other runners.
In one incident, four bulls crashed into a bunch of participants close to the end of the race, and several people narrowly missed being gored.
In the nationally televised morning runs, participants must dash along with six bulls and accompanying steer down a narrow 930-yard course from a holding pen to Pamplona's bull ring.
Each day during the nine-day fiesta, runners try and test their luck and skills at getting close to the stampeding wild bulls.
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Thursday morning was just the first bull run of the season with the festival making the northern Spanish town famousCredit: Getty Images
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Many people struggle to keep up with the adrenaline-fuelled race and can be trampled by a bull or running people if they fallCredit: Getty Images
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A man lies on the ground as the fighting bulls run past him - the man was lucky to escape with the risk of being gored by bull horns a dangerous possibilityCredit: Getty Images
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An unidentified runner is taken away for treatment after suffering cuts and bruises during the bull runCredit: EPA
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The bulls will face fights with matadors in the afternoon and are face certain deathCredit: Reuters
The bulls then face matadors and almost certain death in afternoon bullfights.
Thursday's run lasted 2 minutes, 28 seconds.
The San Fermin festival attracts thousands of tourists every year but the four injured in Thursday morning’s run were all Spaniards.
Bull runners often use rolled-up newspapers to point at a small san Fermin statue with candles inside a niche on the Cuesta Santo Domingo, singing a song to the saint to protect them before the start of the morning's 'encierro,' or running-with-the-bulls in the famed Fiesta de San Fermin.
The nine-day fiesta became world famous with Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises" and is now one of Spain's most important tourist events.
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Tourists can treat themselves to toys and balloons including Dora the Explorer during the festivalCredit: Reuters
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Thursday's run lasted 2 minutes, 28 seconds as the runners and bulls alike ran through the streetsCredit: Reuters
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One runner tries to take cover from the charging bulls. In all, 15 people have died from gorings in the San Fermin festival since record-keeping began in 1924Credit: Reuters
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One of the adrenaline-junkees is charged by a bull during the race, which doesn't even last three minutesCredit: AP:Associated Press
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One of the runners falls over as he tries to escape the raging bull ploughing through the crowdCredit: AP:Associated Press
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Some Spanish locals prefer to stay out of harm's way, watching the festival take place from their balconiesCredit: Getty Images
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Bull runners point rolled-up newspapers at a small san Fermin statue with candles inside a niche on the Cuesta Santo Domingo as they sing a song to the saint to protect them before the start of the morning's bull runCredit: EPA
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A view of the St. Fermin statue (centre) in its niche before the race with the runners saying a prayer to the statue to keep them safeCredit: EFE
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A runner tries to escape the raging bull, clambering over a barrier as it head butts himCredit: Reuters
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Safe! The runner falls head first over the barrier as he escapes the raging bullCredit: Reuters
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A woman throws flowers down into the street at the statue of San Fermin as it passesCredit: Reuters
Bull runs, or "encierros" as they are called in Spanish, are a traditional part of summer festivals across Spain. Dozens of people are injured each year in the runs, mostly in falls.
Ten people, including four Americans, were gored in last year's festival.
In all, 15 people have died from gorings in the San Fermin festival since record-keeping began in 1924.
The festival started Wednesday with the traditional midday launching of a firework rocket known as the "Chupinazo" from Pamplona's town hall balcony.
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A spectator in an astronaut suit watches from a balcony as the effigy of San Fermin is carried through the centre of PamplonaCredit: Getty Images
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The runners must run down a narrow 930-yard course from a holding pen to Pamplona's bull ringCredit: Reuters
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A wild cow jumps over the runners in the first day of the festival, which saw four people injuredCredit: Reuters
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Runners perform the traditional song to St Fermin, hoping for protection, before the annual race beginsCredit: EFE
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Participants are forced to run for the lives for fun as part of the annual Spanish festivalCredit: Getty Images
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Most people are injured from falling over in the rush to escape the charging bullsCredit: Getty Images
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The runs are televised every morning with the participants required to run with six charging bulls through to the bull ringCredit: Reuters
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A band surrounded by police plays as revellers celebrate the 'Chupinazo', which sees a rocket let off to announce the start of the festivalCredit: Getty Images
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People wait for the procession in the centre of Pamplona after the first running of the bulls through the streetsCredit: Getty Images
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A woman holds wheat, a symbol of the farmers of Navarra, during San Fermin DayCredit: Reuters
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The effigy is taken through the streets of the north Spanish town as the festival kicks offCredit: Getty Images
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A Zaldiko, a member of the San Fermin Comparsa Parade dressing as a horse, dances on the streetCredit: AP:Associated Press
