8 injured on Day 7 of Spain bull run festival

A Nunez del Cuvillo's fighting bull runs over a fallen participant during the seventh bull run of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, July 13, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Two Spaniards were gored and six more runners injured during the seventh bull run at Pamplona's San Fermin festival, medical officials said Thursday.

All eight — seven men and one woman — were admitted for treatment, Navarra Hospital doctor Jon Arizeta said. He said the gorings affected leg areas, while two of the patients sustained head injuries. None of the injuries was life-threatening, medical officials said.

Thursday's run was considered fast, as a speedy bull named "Fundador" (Founder) led the pack of bulls and leading steers along the 850-meter cobbled-street course.

Participants run ahead of fighting bulls during the seventh bull run of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona, northern Spain, July 13, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

The animals extended the run's official length to two minutes and 40 seconds by lingering in the bullring before entering the pen.

There appeared to be fewer people on the course than in previous days, yielding better opportunities for seasoned runners to show their courage and speed as they raced before the horns of the six fighting bulls.

There had been no gorings since the first two days of the festival, Friday and Saturday, when four Americans and a Spaniard had to be treated for injuries. Most people are hurt in falls or by being trampled on by bulls.

Pamplona, a city of around 200,000 inhabitants, increases its population five-fold for the nine-day festival brought to world fame by Nobel literature laureate Ernest Hemingway.

A Victoriano del Rio Cortes' fighting bull rattles a horse during the sixth bullfight of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona, July 12, 2017. (Photo by AFP)

Following the tales in his 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises," many foreigners arrive in the northern Spanish city to experience or witness the running of the bulls and participate in hundreds of activities.

The bulls face matadors and almost certain death in afternoon bullfights. Bull runs are a traditional part of summer festivals across the country.

Twelve people, including four Americans, were gored at last year's festival. In all, 15 people have been fatally gored at the festival since record-keeping began in 1924.