Langmaid has lead nearing Can-Am finish ’03 champ nine minutes ahead

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ALLAGASH – The KeyBank 250-mile sled dog race was a run to the finish Sunday afternoon as the top three teams, within 30 minutes of each other, were on a dash from the northwestern Maine woods to the Allagash checkpoint, about 55 miles from the finish line.

Bruce Langmaid, 46, a kennel owner from Blackstock, Ontario, last year’s winner at Fort Kent, was in first place, nine minutes ahead of two-time winner Martin Massicotte, 35, of St. Tite, Quebec, as they left the third checkpoint of the race, still 100 miles from the finish line.

In third place, 21 minutes behind Massicotte, was 19-year-old Ashley Simpson of Shirley.

“It was a tough run, a very tough run in here from Machias lake,” Langmaid said just minutes after arriving at Maibec’s lumber camp just before 8 a.m. Sunday. “It’s behind us now, and we must look to Allagash and Fort Kent.”

Langmaid and his team were very tired. They took an extra hour’s rest at Maibec’s and cut his lead from 74 minutes to nine minutes.

“This was a very hard leg, with 10 to 12 inches of new snow,” Massicotte said in French as he was having lunch at Maibec’s. “The dogs are tired, I’m tired, but we have no medical problems.”

“It’s hard to keep the sled in the fresh tracks made by Bruce [Langmaid],” Simpson said as she ate lunch. “It’s a dog race out there and radical things can happen. You never know.”

Two shorter races in the 12th Can-Am Crown Sled Dog Race, the locally sponsored 60-mile and the Pepsi-Budweiser 30-mile races, started and finished Saturday.

In the 60-mile race, Boyd Wilson of McArthur’s Mills, Ontario, took the top prize of $2,000 with a time of five hours, 17 minutes, 50 seconds. In second place, 11 minutes back, was Rene Marchildon of South River, Ontario, and third was Marcel Drouin of Embrun, Ontario, with a time of 5:44:44.

In the 30-mile race, Jeffrey Baril of St. Zenon, Quebec, took first place and the $1,200 top prize with a time of 2:42:32. Alan Ricalton of natural Bridge, N.Y., was second by 14 minutes, and Robert Davis Jr., of Boxford, Mass., was third with a time of 2:57:34.

A total of $40,000 in cash was up for grabs in the three races on the weekend. The top 12 finishers in each race share the prize money available.

A newcomer to the race, but a veteran of Alaska’s Iditarod Sled Dog Race, is Aaron Peck of Grafton, Ontario. He was 40 minutes behind Simpson with about 100 miles left in the race Sunday afternoon.

Saturday was the mushers’ best day on the weekend. They were running in temperatures in the mid-20s on packed, hardened trails. That ended after they left Portage Lake late Saturday when snow started falling. They had less than five inches to wade through the first 25 miles to Big Machias Lake, but the snow deepened as they went farther into the northwestern Maine woods.

By the time they reached the checkpoint at Maibec’s Lumber Camp, 150 miles into the race, they were going through fresh snow 10 to 12 inches deep.

The snow took its toll.

“When I get to this checkpoint each year I wonder why I am here,” Langmaid said after arriving at 7:49 a.m. Sunday. “This race is for younger men.”

Langmaid has run the Fort Kent race three times before. He came in third twice and won last year.

Last year, Langmaid made it back to Fort Kent in about 45 hours. The race will be longer this year.

CAN-AM CROWN SLED DOG RACES

Key Bank 250-mile race

1. Bruce Langmaid, Blackstock, Ont., on the road to Allagash

2. Martin Massicote, St. Tite, Que., on the road to Allagash

3. Ashley Simpson, Shirley, Me., on the road to Allagash

4. Aaron Peck, Grafton, Ont., at Maibec checkpoint

5. Matt Carstens, Whitefield, N.H., at Maibec checkpoint

6. Mitch Ingerson, Jefferson, N.H., at Maibec checkpoint

7. Amy Dugan, Shirley, at Maibec checkpoint,

8. Stephane Massicotte, St. Prosper, Que., at Maibec checkpoint

9. Robert Fredette, Plantagenet, Ont., at Maibec checkpoint,

10. Larry Murphy, Fort Kent, on trail to Maibec,

11. Marcelle Fresineau, Grande Anse, Que., on trail to Maibec

12. Michael Ellis, Rumney, N.H., on trail to Maibec

13. Mary Wolf, St. Francis, Me., scratched at Big Machias checkpoint.

14. Clayton Doubleday, Lisbon, N.H., scratched at Portage Lake.

15. Andy Nissley, Sherman Mills, Me., scratched at Portage Lake.

60-mile race

1. Boyd Wilson, MacArthur’s Mills, Ontario, 5 hours, 17 minutes, 50 seconds

2. Rene Marchildon, South River, Ontario, 5:28:52

3. Marcel Drouin, Embrun, Ontario, 5:44:44

4. Claude Baril, St. Zenon, Quebec, 5:52:25

5. Christine Richardson, Canaan, N.H., 6:02:34

6. Andre Longchamps, Ponte-Rouge, Quebec, 6:31:43

7. Harry Sunman, Casselman, Ontario, 6:35:16

8. Rhonda O’Hearn, Sandwon, N.H., 6:40:05

9. Gaetan Martin, St. Basile, New Brunswick, 6:42:19

10. Liz Como, Lovell, Me., 7:39:35

11. Paul Huska, East Nassau, N.Y., 7:40:18

12. Terry Knowles, Brownville, Me., 7:45:19

13. Stan Morgan, St. Michel des Saints, Que., 7:49:18

14. Barry Dana, Solon, Me., 8:23:45

15. Mario Racine, Ste. Cecile de Milton, Quebec, 9:40:20

16. Al Tarr, Gibsonia, Pa., 10:12:35

Pepsi-Budweiser 30-mile race

1. Jeffrey Baril, St. Zenon, Que., 2 Hours, 42 minutes, 32 seconds.

2. Alan Ricalton, Natural Bridge, N.Y., 2:56:34.

3. Robert Davis Jr., Boxford, Mass., 2:57:34.

4. Amy Delano, Troy, Me., 2:57:46.

5. Amelie Aubut, Pont-Rouge, Que., 2:59:56.

6. Shawn Akins, Williamstown, Ontario, 3:02:52.

7. Dennis Cyr, Fort Kent, 3:07:56.

8. Francois Mauricest. Sophie, Que., 3:08:12.

9. Diane Marquis,St. Hugues, Que., 3:08:26.

10. Caroline Blair-Smith, Albany Township, Me., 3:12:46.

11. Lise Marquis, Isle Verte, Que., 3:13:45.

12.Andrew Zollner, Boileau, Que., 3:21:17.

13. Alex Murphy, Vassalboro, Me., 3:27:59.

14. Kathy Lesinski, South Windsor, Conn., 3:32:20.

15. Kyle Stoops, Winterport, Me., 3:32:42.

16. Andy Chakoumakos, Lovell, Me., 3:43:47.

17. Lynne Cyr, Fort Kent, 3:47:41.

18. Mike Paradis, Fort Kent, 3:49:14.

19. Wesley Baum, Dryden, N.Y., 3:57A:37.

20. Rhonda Welcome, Guilford, Me., 3:57:39.

21. Anthony Celello, Rangeley, Me., 4:01:15

22. Eileen Vitelo, Brookfield, Mass., 4:03:27.

23. Tracy Thibodeau, Caribou, 4:04:52.

24. Amanda Damboise, Fort Kent, 4:06:24.

25. Jeff Carmichael, Marlboro, Mass, 4:11:07.

26. Jonathan Hayes, Belgrade, Me., 4:33:00.

27. Barry Siragusa, Stow, Me., 4:36:10.