FORT KENT – A northern Maine snowstorm changed the outcome of the Irving Woodlands 250-mile Can-Am Crown Sled Dog Race late Sunday night when the musher who had been leading the race from the first checkpoint Saturday officially scratched from the competition.

Keith Aili of Ray, Minn., the 2001 winner of the Can-Am Crown Sled Dog Race and the man who was one hour, 11 minutes ahead in the race with 110 miles to go Sunday afternoon, officially took himself out of the race at about 9 p.m.

“We still have the second and third teams, who are now first and second on the trail, coming into Allagash,” race marshal George Theriault said. “Martin Massicotte and Rene Marchildon are reportedly running together on the trail.

“I would think they are 15 to 20 miles out of Allagash, still heading to Allagash,” said Theriault, who was at the Allagash checkpoint. “It’s really too bad for Aili who had been ahead all the way.”

Aili reportedly left the trail and made his way to the Michaud Farm Road, an open road that leads to Allagash along the Allagash River.

“The depth of the snow brought him and his dogs down,” Theriault surmised late Sunday night.

When they left the Maibec checkpoint, not far from the border of Quebec, Sunday afternoon Aili was ahead by one hour, 11 minutes over two-time winner Martin Massicotte of St. Tite, Quebec. Marchildon, of South River, Ontario, was close to Massicotte.

The top six teams in the race Sunday afternoon – six of the original 30 teams scratched out of the race – were within one hour, 27 minutes of each other when they left the Maibec checkpoint. They were all on the trail to Allagash Sunday night. Twenty-four teams remained in the chase for the top prize in the $20,000 purse race.

Aili, a bear guide and kennel owner, who looked fit, along with his dogs, was in a great mood Sunday afternoon. He led the race from the outset. He was ahead of Amy Dugan of Shirley by three minutes at the first checkpoint at Portage Lake Saturday afternoon. He covered the first 70 miles in eight hours, four minutes. Some teams took more than 12 hours.

He was also ahead at Rocky Brook and Maibec checkpoints.

What made the difference was a snowstorm that hit northern Maine swiftly Sunday morning. By mid-afternoon, snow had accumulated from 3 to 10 inches along the Maibec to Allagash leg of the race. It was slowing the race tempo, but no problems were evident until Aili scratched.

Teams were on that leg of the trail for much longer than expected. Usually the leg is run in six to seven hours. Aili and other mushers on the section of trail had not been heard from for 71/2 hours when Aili scratched.

The winner of the slowed race is not expected to arrive at the finish line at Fort Kent until mid-morning Monday.

“They’re running good, running really good,” Aili said at Maibec’s just after 1 p.m. while snacking his dogs. “They are running fast enough, covering the trail.”

While other teams at the checkpoint were being held there by a nine-hour mandatory layover between the first three checkpoints, Aili had run through, stopping just long enough to check in and out. He had taken enough layover at Portage Lake and Rocky Brook to cover the nine hours.

Massicotte was champing at the bit waiting for his layover to finish. He left the checkpoint at 2:40 p.m., the earliest he could. He was the first team into Maibec’s at 9:01 a.m. Sunday, but he had taken little layover time at previous checkpoints.

Don Hibbs of Millinocket was the top Maine team in the race. He arrived at the Maibec checkpoint at 3:29 p.m. Sunday.

Aili, who completed Alaska’s Iditarod in the middle of the pack over 11 days in 2002 and 2003, was second in the race in 2000, the first time he entered the run at Fort Kent. He won in his second attempt.

Massicotte, whose competed in the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest race twice, was second last year, and has been a perennial contender at Fort Kent since 1995.

“The dogs seem to feel better and are in better shape than I am,” Massicotte said at Maibec’s Sunday. “They are in great shape.

“I don’t like this waiting here,” he said after Aili took off for Allagash. “This will be tough.”

Boyd Wilson of McArthur’s Mills, Ontario, won the Willard Jalbert Jr. Memorial 60-mile race on Saturday by 14 minutes over Bruce Langmaid of Blackstock, Ontario. Langmaid was the 2003 and 2004 winner of the Can-Am Crown’s 250-mile race.

Rhonda Ransome of Whitney, Ontario won the Pepsi-Budweiser 30-mile race by six minutes over Claude Baril of St. Zenon, Quebec.

All three of the races had full complements of 30 teams each Saturday. It was Fort Kent’s largest race in the 13 years it has been run. Thousands of people watched the Main Street start Saturday morning in temperatures that ranged between 10 and 20 degrees.

There is $40,000 in cash up for grabs in the three races. Irving has provided $20,000 for the 250-mile race. The winner receives $4,500 and the other top 11 mushers split the remainder with the 12th musher receiving $600. That race also has stage prizes, $1,000 split amongst the top five fastest teams between checkpoints. The Finishing Touch purse of $4,000 is split amongst all finishers of the race.

The 60-mile race had a purse of $7,000 cash. The winner received $2,000, and the remainder is split amongst the top 12 finishers.

Pepsi and Budweiser sponsor the $4,000 purse for the 30-mile race. That is also split amongst the top 12 finishers and the winner received $1,200.