Call it the Battle of Bull Run. Justin Triplett got trampled by a bull at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton and lived to tell the tale.

Triplett was run over by a 2,000-pound beast Saturday during the Great Bull Run, in which hundreds of people willingly ran alongside bulls at the fairgrounds.

Triplett told KPIX-TV that he was recording his run with his phone. Others had their cameras rolling as well when the bull ran into him, leaving him motionless on the ground — and prompting a collective “Oh!” from onlookers.

“I took my phone out to start recording backwards as I was running away,” Triplett told the television station. “The next thing I remember is that the crowd that was behind me dispersed, and I looked back and realized the bull was probably 10, five yards away from me.”

In a posting on Facebook later that day, Triplett wrote, “Nothing bad happened, just bad cuts on my face and right side. Thank you guys for all the support.”

Lest one thinks he’ll be out of commission for a while, think again. Triplett says he’s now preparing to participate in the Tough Mudder, a grueling 10- to 12-mile obstacle course that involves running through mud, icy water and fire.

The Great Bull Run is modeled on the annual running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.

People have been killed doing that, and Great Bull Run organizers nod to the danger of the event, asking rhetorically in promotional materials, “Is running with bulls safe? Of course not!”









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Photo: The Chronicle Image 1 of / 19 Caption Close Image 2 of 19 Runners make their way to the track for the first run of The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Runners make their way to the track for the first run of The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 3 of 19 Gilberto Martinez gets a kiss from Brigette Arelis, both from Pittsburgh, moments before The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Gilberto Martinez gets a kiss from Brigette Arelis, both from Pittsburgh, moments before The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 4 of 19 Runners scramble as the bulls approach during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Runners scramble as the bulls approach during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 5 of 19 Image 6 of 19 Runners scramble as the bulls approach during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Runners scramble as the bulls approach during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 7 of 19 Jess Blaine and Janelle Baldwin, who travelled from Cincinnati get their games faces on for The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Jess Blaine and Janelle Baldwin, who travelled from Cincinnati get their games faces on for The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 8 of 19 Runners scramble as the bulls approach during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Runners scramble as the bulls approach during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 9 of 19 A mad scramble as the bulls and runners take off during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. A mad scramble as the bulls and runners take off during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 10 of 19 Image 11 of 19 People take photos with runner 82-year-old Vern Chatfield of Santa Clara before The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. People take photos with runner 82-year-old Vern Chatfield of Santa Clara before The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 12 of 19 Bulls scramble past the runners during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Bulls scramble past the runners during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 13 of 19 Bulls scramble past the runners during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Bulls scramble past the runners during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 14 of 19 Runners celebrate making it through the second run of The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Runners celebrate making it through the second run of The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 15 of 19 Image 16 of 19 Runners scramble as the bulls approach during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Runners scramble as the bulls approach during The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 17 of 19 The bulls are off and running during the final run of The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. The bulls are off and running during the final run of The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 18 of 19 The bulls are off and running during the final run of The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. The bulls are off and running during the final run of The Great Bull Run on Saturday July 26, 2014, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, Calif. Photo: The Chronicle Image 19 of 19 Vacaville man survives trampling in 'Great Bull Run' 1 / 19 Back to Gallery

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