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Three Spanish men have been injured as several thousand people tested their bravery by dashing alongside six fighting bulls through the slippery streets of Pamplona in the sixth running of the bulls at Spain's San Fermin festival.

Oscar Gorria, deputy director of surgical services for the region of Navarra, said one man sustained an arm injury while another had cuts and bruises to a leg.

Municipal workers had applied an anti-slip coating on the cobblestones of the narrow streets in a bid to lessen injuries after rain had fallen overnight.

Weekend runs traditionally attract the most thrill-seekers keen on running the 850-metre course from a holding pen to Pamplona's bull ring.

Juan Arnal, a city official responsible for street safety, said the large turnout despite heavy rain spurred the decision to spray the cobblestones.

Even so, some of the bulls lost their footing. Television footage showed one lucky escape as a man had his T-shirt ripped off by a horn as one of the beasts lifted itself from a tumble.

The festival, which blends early-morning adrenaline with all-night parties, attracts tens of thousands of foreign tourists each year. Fifteen people have died from gorings since record-keeping began in 1924.

Four Spaniards and an American have been gored so far during this year's festivities. One of the Spaniards was seriously injured.

The nine-day festival was immortalized in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises.

The largest turnout this year is expected Sunday when the bulls come from the renowned Miura breeding ranch. They are some of Spain's largest and most fearsome fighting animals, weighing up to 695 kilograms.

Fast and ferocious: Revellers run in front of fighting bulls during the sixth 'running of the bulls' of the 2014 San Fermin festival in Pamplona

Traditions: The annual nine-day long fiesta commemorates Saint Fermin, Pamplona's Patron Saint

Danger: Two 'mozos' or runners fall in front of Fuente Ymbro's bulls on their way along the Estafeta stretch, in Pamplona, northern Spain

The weekend 'runs' attract thrill-seekers from around the country, but three runners have been injured during this year's festival

Powerful creatures: One man sustained an arm injury while another had cuts and bruises to a leg

High octane: Fighting bulls from the Fuente Ymbro ranch run through the old cobbled streets of Pamplona

Despite the cobblestones being sprayed with an anti-slip substance, some of the bulls lost their footing

A man prays before running ahead of fighting bulls. Revelers from around the world arrive to Pamplona every year to take part in the eight days of the running of the bulls

Thrill-seekers: The run takes revellers from Santo Domingo street to the bull ring as part of the San Fermin festival

High risk: Three runners were hospitalised following the run that lasted two minutes and forty-nine seconds, according to local media

Celebrations: Festival goers in Pamplona sing a song addressed to their Patron Saint, San Fermin

Infamous festival: The nine-day event was immortalized in Ernest Hemingway's 1926 novel The Sun Also Rises

Chaos: City dwellers embrace the annual nine-day long running-with-the-bulls fiesta

Man down: A man falls alongside the fighting bulls while running the 850-metre course from a holding pen to Pamplona's bull ring

Look out behind you: Bulls approach the runners at Estafeta corner in Pamplona

All too much: A festival goer finds a quiet spot for a much needed nap, after the sixth day of bull runs

Exhausted: It's tiring work being chased by a stampede of huge fighting bulls

Time for romance? The festival is a heady mix of drinking, dancing and late nights as well as bullfights