ALLAGASH – Bruce Langmaid became the fourth musher to win a second Can-Am Crown Sled Dog Race on Monday morning, coming in an hour and 19 minutes ahead of two-time winner Martin Massicotte.

Langmaid, 46, a kennel owner from Blackstock, Ontario, led the Key Bank 250-mile sled dog race nearly from the outset Saturday. He was the second team out of the Main Street starting gate at Fort Kent on Saturday morning, and was the first musher to reach each of the four checkpoints and to cross the finish line.

The 20-year veteran of sled dog racing mushed through the northern Maine forest trail in 32 hours, 12 minutes and four seconds. That does not include 14 hours of mandatory layovers at four checkpoints at Portage Lake, Big Machias Lake, Maibec’s Lumber Camp and Two Rivers Lunch at Allagash.

“It was a really good run,” Langmaid said as he portioned out cubes of chicken meat to his dogs just minutes after crossing the finish line. “The dogs kind of surprised me.

“Coming out of Maibec’s yesterday they were kind of slow. Twenty miles out on the trail they opened up and started to fly again.

“You think they are done at some point, and they up and surprise you,” he said. “They were hammering coming to Fort Kent, really taking the hills.”

Massicotte of St. Tite, Quebec, took second place in stride.

“Would someone tell Langmaid that I am done practicing and limbering up now and I am ready to race,” Massicotte said in French after crossing the finish line.

“It was a long race, but a good one,” he said.

The competition during the last 100 miles was a “phenomenal run,” race marshal George Theriault said.

Aaron Peck of Grafton, Ontario, came across the finish line in third place at 2:19 p.m. Monday. He was the only other finisher, but it was reported that Ashley Simpson of Shirley and Mathew Carstens of Whitefield, N.H., were within hours of finishing.

Langmaid, a tall, lanky musher-runner, gave it his all. He looked tired at Maibec’s. Instead of taking off when his nine-hour layover was done at the lumber camp, the musher decided to give the dogs an extra hour of sleep.

He gave up a 74-minute lead, and instead took off just nine minutes ahead of Massicotte, the 1998 and 2002 winner of the Can-Am Crown 250-mile race.

By the time Langmaid reached Allagash, he had made up the time and more. He was ahead by an hour and 20 minutes.

He did the same at Allagash, allowing his dogs 35 more minutes of rest than the mandatory five-hour layover.

Again it paid off. His five-hour, 45 minute run to Fort Kent (47 miles) was faster than Massicotte’s six hours, 29 minutes.

Kathy Jackson of Connecticut, head veterinarian for the sled dog race, said Langmaid’s dogs were exceptional.

“They look awesome, wagging their tails and looking around,” she said as she examined each of the 10 dogs at the end of the race. “They are all happy, and their health is great.”

While saying to friends that luck was involved in the win, Langmaid said a few minutes later that “Martin [Massicotte] would have needed an exceptional run to catch me.”

Massicotte finished the race with eight dogs, and Langmaid had 10. Both started with teams of 12 dogs.

During the race, Langmaid’s speed averaged one half-mile an hour faster than Massicotte’s, at 8.2 miles per hour.

A total of $40,000 in cash was up for grabs in the three races over the weekend. The top 12 finishers in each race share the prize money. First place is worth $4,500 and second place earns $3,500.

CAN-AM CROWN

KeyBank 250-Mile Race

(Times do not include mandatory layovers of 14 hours)

1. Bruce Langmaid, Blackstock, Ontario, 32 hours, 12 minutes and 4 seconds

2. Martin Massicote, St. Tite, Quebec, 33:31:10

3. Aaron Peck, Grafton, Ont., 37:51:05

4. Ashley Simpson, ShirlTey, Maine, on trail to Fort Kent

5. Matt Carstens, Whitefield, N.H., on trail to Fort Kent

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

7. Amy Dugan, Shirley, at Allagash checkpoint

8. Robert Fredette, Plantagenet, Ontario, at Allagash checkpoint

9. Marcelle Fresineau, Grande Anse, Quebec, at Allagash checkpoint

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

11. Michael Ellis, Rumney, N.H., on trail to Allagash

12. Stephane Massicotte, St. Prosper, Quebec, scratched at Maibec checkpoint

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

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

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