Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska -- “I really couldn’t do the Iditarod any other year,” said an Air Force lieutenant colonel born in California and raised in Birkenhead, England.
Lt. Col. Roger Lee has trained for the past three years, taking leave and flying to Alaska from his past duty locations to complete the qualifiers and sign up to race in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race for 2017.
He started in 2006, volunteering and assisting mushers as a dog handler, but it wasn’t until 2012, when Lee met Iditarod veteran Scott Janssen, that the pieces finally came together.
Lee joined the Janssen team; he learned the people, learned the dogs, and together they started to train in 2015. When Lee caught wind of the Air Force Career Intermission Program in 2016, he said he knew he had to apply for the opportunity so he could race.
Lee said he has spent more time training for the race than he would have spent working full time.
In 2017, he completed three final races in preparation for the Iditarod; the Knik 200, Copper Basin 300, and Kuskokwim 300, to make certain his gear and his dogs are ready for that last 1,000-mile stretch.
“The Knik 200 is one of the most famous smaller mid-distance races,” Lee said. “It’s famous because it used to start at the first Iditarod checkpoint.”
This race gives mushers some perspective on how the start of the Iditarod would feel; a musher having a hard time would see how just how difficult the Iditarod will be, said Lee.
Last year, conditions were poor due to lack of snow; even the start of the Knik 200 was moved to a different location. This year, Lee had mixed experiences.
“The Knik race went great, we were lucky enough to have fresh snow on the trail … we started at the original location and we really got that feel of running on the old Iditarod trail,” Lee said. “My only worry was coming up to the finish line, our kennel was actually to the left of the finish line so I had to stop the dogs turning left and keep them going straight … [and] that actually worked out.”
Mushers receive a lot of support from their team, sponsors and family, but support is more than just being there at the beginning of the race; its being there for them at the checkpoints, when mushers need it most. Most people coordinate meetups by the musher’s tracker, but sometimes, the signal may be a bit off.
“During the Knik 200, the distance was off by a significant amount,” Lee said. “I was actually two hours early; I got there, did my thing, then left before my support even arrived.”
When that happens, it can be frustrating for both sides; the supporters drove all that way for nothing, and the mushers might have needed or expected something and never received it.
“It can be emotional stuff – funny afterward, but at the time and depending on the temperature, when you really needed something from your handlers or other supporters, not so much,” Lee said. “Some races don’t allow any help, but others encourage it, so [if] you planned to stop and maybe have a pit crew or you’re expecting a candy bar and now suddenly there was nobody there, that was the best ever candy bar you never got.”
The next race was the Copper Basin 300, renowned as a hardcore race. All the training comes into play − mapping stops, managing dogs, working with sleep deprivation, and remembering to take care of oneself.
“The Copper Basin was the first real serious race because you are with some of ‘big boys’ who only race when prize money is on the line,” Lee said.
The tougher races like the Copper Basin are there to push the musher to be uncomfortable and experience problems so that if a musher does encounter something during the Iditarod, it isn’t life-threatening.
“One of my greatest strengths I have is knowing my equipment,” Lee said. “I know the quality of all my equipment, what works above and below freezing temperatures, after using it for years. I know the toolkit I have for the sled; I have the right wrenches for the bolts because I’ve tested them on every bolt, if it came to a serious maintenance accident.”
Lee also relies heavily on maps; he has a map of every area so he knows what to plan for, just in case.
“Just before coming into or leaving a checkpoint, I do a quick review of my map so I know what to look out for next like ‘that’s the section with potential open water,’ and ‘that’s the section a few gradients up,’ so I know I should wear less clothing if I were to do more running,” said Lee. “That was especially helpful during the Copper Basin 300, because it had a lot of uphill.
“Say I were to wear all my heavy cold weather gear then start running, it’ll be dangerous because as soon as I start going downhill or back on the river, that layer of sweat is going to turn to frost,” Lee said. “You caused something that you didn’t need to, because you didn’t know the terrain.”
The last race was the Kuskokwim 300, considered a very difficult race due to terrain.
“In this race, you learn how to run over freezing rivers, then turn into thick woods – where, if you’re not awake, [surprises lie] within sharp turns, low-hanging branches and overflowing water, creating icy patches,” Lee explained. “You should really enjoy these [challenges] because eventually you are going to spill over, you are potentially going to [get lost], you are going to learn about your dogs, about yourself, and decide then – yes, I do like this and I can do this for a thousand miles.”
The Kuskokwim 300 has a reputation for being tough, and making it to each checkpoint in good condition was a challenge, especially when a storm had knocked over some of the trail markers.
During that race, Lee said did get turned around a few times, but staying confident when making those types of decisions keeps the dogs at ease as well. Depending on the restlessness of the dogs, the musher may need to move the dogs around in the harness and know which dog would be the most appropriate where.
“It’s really important to be close to your team … [to know] your dogs,” Lee said. “It’s always great to learn the dogs, so you know which dogs want to and could help out in another way when asked, but the most important thing is to make sure that they are happy and not too exhausted.”
All this boils down to one last race, the ‘Last Great Race,’ where all the previous experience will be tested to compete, complete and win. Lee’s goal is to race this year, then move on to other experiences.
“The Iditarod is like the NASCAR of the mushing world – it has that attachment, that enjoyment, but that can be too much,” Lee said. “The ‘NASCAR effect’ it has, just blows it up; it’s driven by sponsors, driven by bigger teams in front of bigger kennels, some tied to the tourist industry.
“I do want to do this once, but not for the rest of my life,” Lee said. “This is just one of my adventures.”
After his intermission is complete, Lee looks forward to the rest of his career in the Air Force.
“I’d still like to go to squadron command, I’d like to go back to college, and I can’t wait to go to Lakenheath for my next assignment,” Lee said. “That’s the fun of a military career; you get as much as you put into it.”