Second annual event wraps up with no major injuries, smaller crowds

Sunday, July 11, 1999 | 6:17 a.m.

The second annual running of the bulls - American style - wrapped up on the outskirts of this tiny Nevada town Sunday, with the promoter reporting a rash of bumps, bruises and sore muscles, but no significant injuries.

Phoenix promoter Phil Immordino said some 300 runners tested their skills against some 40 bulls Sunday, half the number that ran Saturday.

The number of runners was about what was expected, but the event drew less that half the spectators Immordino predicted. He blamed massive flooding Thursday in Las Vegas, 80 miles to the southwest, with cutting down on the size of the crowd.

The second annual running of the bulls kicked off here Saturday with about 600 runners, some dressed in chicken suits, matching wits and stamina against 40 bulls.

Immordino said no one reported any serious injuries, although some of the bulls flipped runners into the air.

Immordino said Sunday he planned to hold the event again next year, although it would likely be held a couple of months earlier to avoid triple-digit temperatures that cut into this year's crowd and wilted both runners and bulls.

The Mesquite event is the Americanized version of the 400-year-old running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.

Last year's bull run was held in Arizona, at a Mohave County site on the outskirts of Mesquite.

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