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Two Brits among the injured as San Fermín draws to a close with its most dramatic runs yet
An 86-year-old pensioner from the West Midlands became the oldest person hurt this year, as the final encierro of the 2026 festival left ten people in hospital
San Fermín 2026 ended on Tuesday July 14 the way it almost always does, with a mixture of elation, injury and the bittersweet midnight ceremony known as Pobre de Mí, "Poor Me," where thousands gather in the town hall square holding lit candles to mark the close of nine extraordinary days.It had begun nine days earlier with the Chupinazo, the traditional opening ceremony where thousands of revellers in white clothing and red bandanas end up drenched in wine and sangria. What came in between was, as ever, unforgettable for all kinds of reasons.
The festival, which started earlier this month has always been met with varying opinions and controversy. But the final morning's encierro, the bull run, proved to be one of the most dramatic of the entire 2026 edition.
Ten people were taken to hospital after Tuesday's run, which lasted two minutes and 25 seconds. Among them was an 86-year-old British pensioner from Halesowen in the West Midlands, by far the oldest person injured during this year's festival. He suffered wounds to his right hand, left eyebrow and left elbow after being hurt in the bullring at the end of the course. Health officials said they could not immediately say how his condition would develop.
Two runners suffered gore injuries on the same morning, including one horned in the chest near the end of the course. Earlier in the run, one of the six fighting bulls separated from the herd near the town hall and charged a group of four men, sweeping at least one off his feet.
It wasn't the first time a Brit featured in the injury reports. William Mitchinson, 24, was knocked to the ground and trampled during the fifth morning run on Saturday, suffering an ankle injury. He was philosophical about the experience as he hobbled out of Navarra University Hospital. "I ran until the bull trampled me," he said. "I'd seen the festival on social media and it looked like good fun. It's my first visit to Pamplona. I might come back another year, but only for the party."
Saturday's run had already produced some alarming scenes. A 30-year-old Spanish participant was gored in the face by a bull that broke away from the pack and charged into a group of runners. Doctors described her condition as serious and were considering a transfer to intensive care.
Thirteen people in total needed medical attention that morning. Injuries were spread throughout the festival, with an American aged 61 and two Spanish runners among those rushed to hospital on the very first full day.
Sixteen people have died in the bull runs since records began in 1910, the most recent being Daniel Jimeno, 27, from Madrid, who was gored in the neck by a bull named Capuchino in 2009.
This year, there were no fatalities during the runs themselves, though the festival was marked from the very first night by the death of a 72-year-old man who suffered a cardiac arrest in a bar on Estafeta Street.
The candles went out at midnight on Tuesday. San Fermín 2026 is over.
Image: San Fermín Pamplona/Pexels
