Pamplona installs urine-resistant paint ahead of bull run

It's estimated that 50 to 100 participants are injured at the San Fermin festival every year. Photo / iStock

With a day to go until "el Txupinazo," the rocket fired at noon on July 6 to indicate the San Fermin Festival has begun, Pamplona is working hard to get ready for its festivities.

Bulls started arriving to the city last Friday for the bull runs from July 7-14 and draw over one million visitors to the city.

Tourists look at a stuffed bull at the entrance of a hotel, a few days ahead the famous San Fermin festival in Pamplona. Photo / AP

Over 2000 runners will sprint in front of the herds of charging bulls, risking being gored and trampled to make it to the bull ring at the end.

It's estimated that 50 to 100 participants are injured every year, and since the first death recorded in 1924, 14 people have been killed.

The runs have always been shown live on Spanish national television, but this year they are adding a new layer to the experience.

A store window shows a miniature of the running of the bulls. Photo / AP

Several participants will be wearing intelligent shirts that record and display in real time the runner's heartbeats per minute, the distance covered, the time passed, and the amount of calories burned.

Another novelty in this year's festival is Pamplona council covering the city streets with CK-Splashback, a product that stops people from urinating in the streets by making any liquids poured splash back from the walls and onto people's legs.

- AAP