Running with a 1,300-pound bison is not your average college extracurricular. Yet, each spring in late April as the semester draws to an end, students line up with hopes of being part of one of the University of Colorado-Boulder’s proudest traditions.

This year, 35 current and incoming students came out hoping to be handpicked to earn the coveted title of being one of the school’s “Ralphie Handlers.” Ralphie is the name of the bison, or buffalo as is the school mascot, that has led the home team onto the field at football games for the past 52 years.

As you can imagine, the university can’t let the large animal run by itself across the field. That’s where the handlers come in. They run by its side as Ralphie reaches speeds of up to 19 mph in a horseshoe-shaped route before being directed into a trailer by handlers who hold onto ropes on Ralphie’s harness.

“We have two people up front; they’re typically our faster people,” program director John Graves told Runner’s World. “They’re helping to control Ralphie’s direction as she runs around the field.” In back, you’ll find the biggest, strongest handler. “His job is to slow her down a little bit.” Two other handlers run on either side of her to help both direct and slow her down.

Dustin Bradford Getty Images

Because students make up the team, there is often turnover after graduation, so they hold tryouts each season. After filling out an application, prospects watch the 15 current Handlers go through a full sprinter’s warmup and run Ralphie twice.

The 35 prospects vied for five open spots. After a warmup jog, stretch, and striders, current and prospective handlers went head-to-head for three 100-yard sprints. However, as Graves explains, being selected isn’t all about speed.

“Not a lot of people have experience running with a buffalo,” he says. “So we need someone who is coachable.”

There is, as one can imagine, a lot of technique involved. “It’s like nothing I’d ever done before,” said outgoing senior handler Keane Lyle, who’d run the 400 and 800 in high school before joining the Ralphie team. “You’re leaning into her shoulder… you’re like riding her, running faster than you ever would without her. It’s so cool.”

Handlers typically come from high school track and field backgrounds, or from sprint-heavy sports like football, soccer, and lacrosse. Others have backgrounds with livestock like horses and cows.

“I’ve been wanting to do this since I was 8 years old,” sophomore Handler Savannah Spanks, who ran track, cross-country, and played basketball before becoming a handler, told Runner’s World.

If accepted as one of the 15 handlers, the team typically puts in lifting and sprint sessions to stay in shape during the week. The handlers also work on Ralphie’s ranch, cleaning up after her and scrubbing out water troughs. All in all, the team puts in roughly 30 hours a week in the fall—volunteer hours, as this is not a scholarship team—and drops down to 10 to 15 hours during the winter and spring.

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Then there’s game day, when all eyes are on them as they run Ralphie while wearing jeans, cowboy hats, and Nike cleats before changing into cowboy boots to hang out in the stands for the rest of the game. They are like mascots for the school, so they often make appearances at events, which is why the tryout also includes a series of interviews.

First-year handlers learn the ropes and don’t run with the animal until their second year when Ralphie’s gotten used to their smell and they’ve gotten used to her demeanor and her moods. Trust between animal and runner is paramount, and the bond between athlete and animal grows deep.

“I’m going to miss it so much,” said Lyle, who did his last run at April’s spring game. “I love Ralphie. She’s the greatest mascot and such a personality to hang out with.”



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Lisa Jhung Lisa Jhung writes about all things adventure and is the author of Running That Doesn't Suck: How To Love Running (Even If You Think You Hate It) and Trailhead: The Dirt on All Things Trail Running.

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