Posted on 08/05/2013 6:38:04 AM PDT by NotYourAverageDhimmi
ATLANTA (AP) Organizers of a new event planned for several U.S. cities plan to unleash bulls to sprint through fenced-in courses as daredevils try to avoid being trampled.
The Great Bull Run is inspired by the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. It's set to kick off Aug. 24 at a drag-racing strip south of Richmond, Va. A second event is planned for Oct. 19 at an Atlanta-area horse park that hosted events for the 1996 Olympics. More events are planned later for Texas, Florida, California, Minnesota, Illinois and Pennsylvania.
Bull runs when the animals are released to run alongside participants as spectators cheer are common in Spain and can drum up controversy. Injuries often occur, as do deaths, though they are much rarer. Some groups attack the treatment of the bulls used in the runs.
About 5,000 people have signed up to participate in the Virginia event, and the number grows by about 50 each day, said Rob Dickens, co-founder and chief operating officer of The Great Bull Run. And with 2,000 signed up for the Conyers, Ga., event, Dickens expects 5,000 to 7,000 to run there in October.
The U.S. events will last one day each, unlike the annual weeklong festival in Pamplona, when bull runs are held every morning. Author Ernest Hemingway wrote about the festival in his 1926 novel "The Sun Also Rises," which helped it gain worldwide notoriety and attract spectators from around the globe.
Organizers acknowledge that the Great Bull Run is likely to start out on a smaller scale than its Spanish counterpart. But they note that other physically challenging activities such as extreme off-road runs and obstacle races have become increasingly popular in the U.S., and they see bull running as a natural follow-up.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Leni
“Has PETA weighed in on this yet?”
I think PETA will support this. After all, weren’t there 24 people gored in Pamplona this year?
That’s the kind of “animal” abuse PETA can get behind.
If that’s true....then Aggies can kiss Sumlin goodbye after this season as well..sort of explains why Mack Brown was taking shots at Manzel this weekend..he must have had a heads-up..
Ahh, but it will be Americanized by using monster trucks instead of bulls!
How is the liability exposure any higher than auto racing where participants and spectators are killed or seriously injured every year?
We already have enough bull coming out of DC.
------------
Good idea. Bulls love to go after a---oles.
Never work, Politicians have experience, they run with their run bull everyday...
Darwin Awards....
The Yankees are STILL running from the last Bull Run in Virginia.
The difference is that auot race car drivers are not RUNNING IN FRONT OF AN ANGRY BULL for no other purpose than to run in front of an angry bull.
This is a great idea. I fully support it and wish to contribute to the funding of such events.
Just because you sign a release doesn’t mean you can’t sue.
One paraplegic case and that’s the end of this “fun”.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.