BOULDER, Colo. — It’s impossible to explain the feeling of running alongside a buffalo.

Most of the 17 men and women who are lucky enough to be “Ralphie Handlers” at the University of Colorado, grapple for just the right word to describe running next to — attached to — a 1,200-pound wild animal.

But all can agree on one thing: it’s a rush that cannot be replicated.

“It’s literally the coolest thing that I’ve ever been a part of,” senior handler Blake Gouin said. “Making the team was the greatest thing that ever happened to me.”

The running of Ralphie, Colorado’s 7-year-old real-life buffalo mascot, started in 1934, but didn’t become a tradition until 1966. There have been five Ralphies, each given a roman numeral to show their lineage, and each female because they’re smaller and less aggressive than males. The current Ralphie, Ralphie V, made her first run during the Colorado spring game on April 19, 2008 and will turn 8 years old in October. Her predecessor, Ralphie IV, is still alive and only makes appearances.

View photos The beauty of buffalo kinship. (Graham Watson/Yahoo Sports) More

Being a Ralphie Handler isn’t just about being fast, it’s about being confident, charismatic and charming. Every time Ralphie makes a public appearance, the Handler’s are stationed at various points around her pen to make sure she’s comfortable and protected. The Handlers are friendly, knowledgeable and more than willing to share their signature black cowboy hats to add a little western charm to a quick photo. But they’re also diligent about keeping people a foot and a half away from her pen and definitely, no touching.

While there are 15 handlers, one director and one assistant director, only five run with Ralphie at any given time and those five don’t know they’re running until right before it’s time to go.

Rookies get one run in a football game during their first year, but they do get ample practice. Ben Frei, a former handler and now the director of the program, said rookies are introduced to Ralphie’s speed in the first practice and, “99.9 percent don’t stay on during their first run.”

“I lot of people come in with a little experience or no experience, but nobody ever comes in with buffalo experience, specifically buffalo running experience,” handler Austin Wilkerson, a junior, said. “That’s just something that you have to make up throughout your time on the team.”