Several of the Island’s most well-known elite runners faced a Herculean task when they were held back at the start line of the second annual Validus Re Running of the Bulls 5K and could only watch as the rest of the competitors raced away into the distance.Dressed in bull costumes, the ‘lady bulls’ of Ashley Estwanik, Karen Smith, Jennifer Alen, Deon Breary, Rose-Anna Hoey and Victoria Fiddick had to wait five minutes before they could set off on the route.Chris Estwanik, Jay Donawa, Stephen Allen, Chayce Smith and last year’s overall winner Gideon Kigotho, who performed the role of the ‘male bulls’ had to wait a further three minutes before being unleashed.Inspired by the annual festival held in Pamplona, Spain where real bulls chase people through the streets, the second annual race saw 180 runners take to the course.Quick times were not on the cards given the windy conditions, but Barry Murphy was not to be caught by anyone, much less the bulls, winning the race in a time of 18 minutes, 13 seconds.Jamie Fraser was second in 18:18, bettering his position but not his time from a year ago, while William Thompson (18:35) rounded out the top three competitors.“It was a great idea for the organisers to put on something like this, I had a great time and will be looking forward to doing this again next time around,” said Murphy.The women’s race saw Nubelia Simas, Catherine Mello, and Kathleen Thompson secure first, second and third place respectively.Simas managed to take a seven second winning margin with a time of 20:58, followed by Mello (21:05) and Thompson (21:14).Crossing the finish line with the middle of the pack runners were the costume-clad bulls.Simas said: “I wasn’t sure where they where (bulls), it is a bit nerve wrecking in that sense but was a good race and I’m pleased with my race.”In the 5K walk, held in conjunction with the running race, Roisin O’Hagan led the way in 31:49, ahead of Andrea Bolley (33:42) and Gary Young (34:15).Sanctioned by the Bermuda National Athletics Association (BNAA), the race started at American International Building East parking lot on Richmond Road, with this year’s proceeds going to Beyond Rugby and Mid Atlantic Athletic Club.