Face of Defense: Air Force Officer Trains for Iditarod

By Air Force Airman 1st Class Amber Carter

60th Air Mobility Wing

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., Jan. 23, 2015 – Snow and trees are all that can be seen for miles. The bitter cold nips at any patch of exposed skin. He can almost taste the frost touching his warm breath as he yells "Mush," commanding his 16 dogs to trudge across the vast landscape and breaking the deafening silence of his surroundings.

Air Force Maj. Roger Lee, 60th Aerospace Medicine Squadron bioenvironmental engineering operations officer here, is on a mission to achieve his dream of participating in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

The Iditarod, known as "the last great race," is an annual long-distance trek that takes place in early March from Anchorage to Nome in Alaska. Participants control a sled pulled by as many as 16 dogs across more than a thousand miles during the course of nine to 15 days.

Lee, a former ski patroller, said he developed a love for snow while growing up in Liverpool, England. "We would do avalanche safety," he said. "So I was used to snow and having dogs around."

Extensive Physical Preparation

Training for a high-endurance sport such as dog sledding involves an extensive amount of physical preparation.

"The physical part of the race isn't difficult for me, because I have made it a priority to maintain a high level of fitness during my Air Force career," Lee said. "I participate in the Air Force cycling team, and I have always volunteered at Outdoor Recreation, leading trips such as kayaking and hiking."

Attempting to complete a long-distance race under cold conditions also involves mental preparation.

"It's just like being in the military mindset of knowing your equipment, knowing your people and being aware that you have more to do than what is going on at that moment," Lee said. "The mental aspect of preparing for a thousand-mile race in temperatures that can drop below zero degrees is the hardest part, because you have to believe in your equipment, your dogs and yourself."

The race is about 1,049 miles, which can vary depending on detours made necessary by thin ice or other dangers along the way. "It's essentially 1,000 miles plus 49 miles," Lee explained, "representing Alaska being the 49th state."

Qualifying Races Required

The first step for Lee achieving his goal is participating in a qualifying race that takes place this month. He must complete three such races to participate in the Iditarod.

"The goal is to finish the race," Lee said. "I want to focus on caring for the dogs and then just finishing so I can participate in the big race."

While stationed at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Lee volunteered every year at the Iditarod and met Scott Janssen, a participant and mortician, who became something of a mentor to Lee.

"I met him while I was volunteering at the 2012 Iditarod," Lee said. "He was wearing a Beatles hat, which, being from Liverpool, was a talking point for us. He extended an invitation to train with him if I ever became serious about competing."

Janssen, known as the "Mushin' Mortician" due to his occupation, speaks highly of Lee's commitment to train and participate in the Iditarod.

Taking Advantage of Opportunities

"Roger is a great person," Janssen said. "He is very positive and detail-oriented. He also is obviously a very dedicated person who set his mind to a goal and works hard to achieve it."

After many years of volunteering with Outdoor Recreation facilities at each of his duty stations, Lee said, he encourages other airmen to take advantage of the opportunities the military provides.

"I get my excitement fill from Outdoor Recreation, and I've been volunteering with the base Outdoor Recs for my whole career," he said. "I have even taken a hiking trip in a blizzard on a Saturday near Lake Tahoe, and then on Sunday, it was 75 degrees and we were sea kayaking in Sausalito [California] down and around the Golden Gate Bridge. You can surprise yourself with what's around where you are."