For Extreme Thrill Seekers, Running of the Bulls Comes to America Barry Bearak - The New York Times
go to original November 15, 2013

Thousands risked themselves during the Great Bull Run, an Americanized version of Spain’s running of the bulls. (Alexandra Garcia/The New York Times)

CONYERS, Ga. — The 600 runners were limbering up for what they had been assured would be “the most awesome adventure” of their lives. And what might that be? They were paying for the opportunity to be chased around a dusty, quarter-mile track by an angry herd of stampeding bulls.

This was assuredly a madcap moment, and some people had decked themselves out in red tutus and Superman capes. A few wore sombreros or bike helmets. Faces and hair were dyed green and red. Bare-chested men painted targets on their backs. “Come and get me!”

Finally, the herd was released from a makeshift corral, nine at first, then nine more, their horned heads swinging side to side. They moved at their preferred speed, a reluctant mosey. But behind them were two lariat-swinging cowboys on horseback, determined to rouse the animals to a pace appropriate for the occasion. The bulls bellowed. Then they galloped.

Hot damn! And holy moly! This is what folks had come for, a “running of the bulls,” not quite the storied dash through the narrow streets of Pamplona, Spain, but an Americanized rendition at an equestrian center off Interstate 20 near Atlanta. The event appealed to a certain type of thrill-seeker, those with the notion that inhabiting a well-lived life requires occasional exposure to mortal danger.

Read the rest at The New York Times

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