No bull: Old Tucson to host a bovine-fueled run

Participants can pay for a chance to run a half-mile course along with a dozen bulls, say the organizers of the event, Glendale-based Bullrun Festival.

Similar events by the company have previously been held in the Phoenix area, but they’ve been on hiatus for about 11 years, said Chad Merwin, Bullrun’s event manager.

Merwin said he and his partner took the break since their last run in Scottsdale because it’s a passion project rather than a “full-time thing.”

“We both live in Phoenix, but we said, ‘you know what, there’s a million festivals, there’s a million things going on in (Phoenix)’ … But (Tucson), first of all, it’s just the perfect fit.” Merwin said. “Tucson has been so receptive, and basically every person we’re talking to and we’re interviewing, whether it’s a drone company or (vendors), people are excited.”

“We think it’s such a great fit, and because of how (Old Tucson Studios) structure things, we’d love to have this be something that just gets plugged right in,” he said.

Pima County, Old Tucson’s landlord, does not appear concerned about any liability over an event that will have people trying to outrun a dozen bulls that can each weigh nearly a ton.

Mark Evans, a spokesman for Pima County, said the event was discussed about a year ago, but was unsure of any conversations since then.

Pima County leases Old Tucson to American Heritage Railways, which has its own liability insurance, Evans said.

The “Cinco de Mayo Bull Run Festival” at Old Tucson, 201 S. Kinney Road, will run from Friday, May 2, through Sunday, May 4, with runs each day.

Runners must be at least 18 years old, have health insurance and sign a liability waiver, according to the rules. Participants need to be sober, too.

Each run will feature 12 bulls that will be released in waves of four onto the 15-foot wide course. Escape exits will be in place every 100 feet.

The course will not be straight to help keep bulls from reaching full speed, Merwin said.

The bulls will be followed by cowboys on horseback and the track will be lined with rodeo clowns, to not only guide the bulls but also to help keep runners out of harm’s way, he said.

Outside of a few bumps and bruises, he said, there’s never been any serious injuries in previous runs.

Merwin said there’s been overwhelming enthusiasm from past participants, including those who are now older.

“We want to have a run that’s going to be over the age of 40, and that came from a request of a lot of the old runners that came back to us (after 10 years) and said, ‘ I’m definitely running, but last time there was a whole bunch of frat guys and a whole bunch of younger guys, do you think we can have one that’s just the old guys?’ “

“And we just kind of laughed, (but) we said that’s actually perfect,” he said. “We want to do something for veterans and maybe have a ‘Warrior Run’ also. So there’s all sorts of things that are just kind of developing.