OLE! Smashing PHOTOS of Spanish BULL RUN

How do you feel when you are amid a strange crowd of thousands in a medieval Spanish city, wearing a white and red uniform, waiting for the most adrenaline-pumping and scary moment of your life, something that you have only imagined, but have not really experienced?

And then you see thousands charging towards you and the chorus of 'Ole' blends with your pumping heartbeat -- automatically, you start running, the most liberating run of your life. Only because raging bulls weighing more than 500 kilograms are galloping towards you!

Welcome to San Fermin bull run festival of Pamplona!

The week-long world-famous festival has already started in Pamplona, Spain this year, with more than 5 lakh tourists participating in the mega event.

Already nearly 10 revelers have been gored and seriously injured by the bulls, and animal rights activists, like every year, have protested against the 'barbaric' festival. But that has certainly not deflated the enthusiasm of the participants.

Another highlight? The bulls from the El Pilar ranch, known for their speed, took just two minutes and 22 seconds on Tuesday to cover the 850-metre course, the fastest time of the four daily bull runs held so far this year.

The annual festival that began on July 6 will conclude on July 14.

Rediff.com presents some smashing, jostling, raging photographs of the San Fermin festival. Enjoy!

In this picture, a steer jumps over the crowd of runners blocking the entrance to the bullring during the second running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona.

There were no injured runners in the run that lasted two minutes and twenty nine seconds, according to local media.

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Runners sprint in front of Miura fighting bulls near the entrance to the bullring on the second day of the running of the bulls in Pamplona.

Various runners suffered light injuries in a run that lasted two minutes and twenty-eight seconds, according to local media.

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Runners sprint towards the entrance to the bullring on the second day of the running of the bulls in Pamplona.

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A runner falls in front of Fugado (Runaway), a 545 kg (1200 lb) Cebada Gago fighting bull, on Santo Domingo street during the third Encierro (Running Of The Bulls) at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona.

Three people, two from Britain and one from the US were gored by Fugado (Runaway) after he broke from the pack following a fall in Santo Domingo, in a run that lasted three minutes and thirty-eight seconds.

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The body of Navajito (Little Blade) is dragged away following the second bullfight after being killed by Spanish bullfighter Javier Castano at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona.

The 640-kg Miura fighting bull had earlier raced ahead of the pack of fellow bulls during Sunday morning's Running Of The Bulls, scattering runners in Estafeta Street and landing two in hospital.

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Runners sprint alongside El Pilar fighting bulls on Santo Domingo street during the fourth running of the bulls at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona.

Local media reported several runners suffered from light injuries in what is currently the fastest run of the festival, lasting two minutes and twenty-two seconds. 

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A "Kiliki" hits a child with a sponge during the San Fermin festival of "Comparsa de gigantes y cabezudos" (Parade of the giants and the big heads) in Pamplona.

"Kilikis" wearing outsized masks, playfully hit bystanders with sponges on sticks and parade daily through the city accompanied by brass bands during the nine-day-long festival made popular by US writer Ernest Hemingway.

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Runners sprint in front of Cebada Gago fighting bulls near the entrance to the bullring during the third Encierro (Running Of The Bulls) at the San Fermin festival in Pamplona.

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Revellers are showered with sparks from the "Fire Bull", a man carrying a metal structure loaded with fireworks on the fourth day of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona. Visitors to the nine day festival, depicted in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises", take part in activities including The Running Of The Bulls, an early morning half mile dash from the corral to the bullring alongside six bulls destined to die in the afternoon's corrida.

This is followed by processions of giant traditional figures, concerts, firebulls, fireworks, and large doses of eating, drinking, dancing and late nights.

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Revellers hold up red scarves during the start of the San Fermin Festival in Pamplona on July 6.

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Children sit on a window sill as they watch the statue of San Fermin, patron saint of the San Fermin festival, being carried through the streets during a procession in his honour in Pamplona.

San Fermin is believed to protect the hundreds of runners that participate in the running of the bulls.

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