Ever since Ernest Hemingway wrote about it in "The Sun Also Rises" the festival of San Fermin, specifically the running of the bulls, in Pamplona, Spain, has attracted thrill seekers and party revelers from all over the world. A new event called The Great Bull Run aims to bring the thrill of running with bulls to the United States for those who don't own a passport, according to the Associated Press.
Unlike the Spanish counterpart The Great Bull Run isn't part of a week-long festival and the bulls won't end the run by facing a matador in an arena. The first event is scheduled to take part on Aug. 24 in Richmond, Va. The Great Bull Run is trading in the historic cobblestone streets and narrow turns of a small European city for the wide open spaces of a drag racing strip.
Bull runs receive a great deal of criticism for both the potential injuries, and occasional death, suffered by humans and what animal rights groups believe is the mistreatment of the bulls. Despite the potential for danger runners have been signing up for the Americanized run in droves, according to the Associated Press.
Rob Dickens, co-founder and COO of The Great Bull Run, told the Associated Press that roughly 5,000 people have signed up for the inaugural event. Dickens believes that a bull run is the next logical step that people would be interested in taking after running in extreme off-road events.
"I think it's just a progression where we are becoming more and more active as a society," Dickens said. "There's this fitness craze that started with running. I think this is just an extension of all that, but making it more interesting to the general public."
Organizers of the event say that the American version will be much safer than the Spanish event that has claimed 15 lives since 1924. The course will be designed with plenty of areas where participants can duck out of danger from the oncoming bulls. They will also be using a different breed of bull than the ones in Pamplona, according to the Associated Press.
"We're not using the Spanish fighting bulls that are bred to be very aggressive for the entertaining aspect of bullfighting," Dickens said.
The Great Bull Run plans to build a festival like atmosphere around the event so that there is more than just the run to attract spectators. Another idea that they are lifting from the San Fermin festival is a tomato fight.
Even with other events Dickens believes that the real reason that people will turn out to The Great Bull Run will be because they can get a rush that they wouldn't be able to get otherwise, according to the Associated Press.
"You can go running down the street anytime you want, but to run with bulls - that's something that doesn't come along very often," Dickens said.
