A comparatively quiet start to the San Fermin running of the bulls festival in Pamplona has seen just four people injured.
The Spanish town is hosting over one million people for the annual event, which was officially opened last night.
On Saturday morning, after 20 hours of non-stop partying in some cases, a group of the bravest, or most reckless, of participants risked their lives in the three-minute adrenaline-fuelled dash from the six fighting bulls released into the town's narrow streets.
An Australian man suffered serious leg injuries and three other people were slightly hurt in the first encierro of the nine day festival. Fourteen people have died during the event since 1911.
Dressed in the festival's traditional all-white costumes and red scarves, and amid deafening shouts of 'Long live San Fermin', the alcohol-soaked crowd gave their support to those running the 825m course leading to the bullfight arenas.
However, the start of the bull run this morning had to be delayed in order to clear the streets of some of the less durable drunken revellers.
The festival officially began Friday night with the lighting of the traditional chupinazo cracker by Pamplona's mayor, Yolanda Barcina. The chupinazo of 'big shot' marks the opening of an event which also sees concerts and balls held as well as the world famous encierro.
A total of eight bull runs will be held over the course of the San Fermin festival, which was immortalised in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel 'The Sun Also Rises'.
The bull run has long been been criticised by international animal rights groups including PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).
On Thursday, hundreds of animal rights activists took part in a 'Running of the Nudes' to protest against the encierro.
The demonstrators, naked and sporting plastic horns, ran the full course to highlight what they say is gratuitous cruelty.
