March 28, 2024
CAN-AM CROWN SLED DOG RACE

Snow, wind slow Can-Am 250 racers 3 Quebec women take top spots in 30-miler

ALLAGASH – Three-time Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Race champion Don Hibbs of Millinocket was leading 16 mushers Sunday on their way to the finish line of the 250-mile race.

The teams were in the final 100 miles of the Irving Woodlands 250-mile race, which was slowed by fierce winds and a foot of new snow. Up for grabs is a $20,000 purse with the winner getting $4,500.

Hibbs left the Maibec lumber camp at 3:12 p.m., about 12 miles from the Quebec border in far northwestern Maine, with a 1-hour-41-minute lead over another three-time winner of the Can-Am Crown, Martin Massicotte of St. Tite, Quebec.

The leader of the race was not expected to reach the fourth checkpoint at the Twin Rivers Restaurant at Allagash until after 10 p.m. Sunday. The leg from Maibec to Allagash is more than 55 miles. From Allagash, the final leg to the finish line is just under 45 miles.

The snowfall started in the early morning hours, before the start of the race Saturday, and continued throughout the day and most of the night. During the night, vicious winds crept in, creating drifts on the trail. Mushers fought the snow despite the efforts of four snowmobiles to keep the running path firm.

Hibbs, historically a tough musher, seemingly has overcome a stagnant period that has lasted four years. He took the lead early Saturday, setting a pace that kept competitors at bay at all checkpoints.

Starting 10th Saturday morning, he led all 21 mushers into the first checkpoint at Portage Lake in 7 hours, 15 minutes. The closest musher to him was Rita Wehseler of Tofte, Minn., who came in 37 minutes later. She was quickly followed by Massicotte and Matt Carstens of Whitefield, N.H., one minute in back of Wehseler and Normand Cassavant of Val des Lacs, Quebec, five minutes later.

Taking a three-hour layover at Portage Lake, Hibbs was the first out of the checkpoint, setting a pace no one could keep up with in the 48-mile dash to the Rocky Brook lumber camp in T13 R11, just east of Round Pound on the Allagash Wilderness Waterway.

“The team is in good shape, and I’m feeling good,” said Hibbs, while feeding and preparing his dogs for a four-hour rest. “The trail’s been good, there is plenty of snow.”

At each checkpoint, Hibbs would look at the running times of the leading mushers in the race, which is a qualifier for the famed 1,049-mile Iditarod Race in Alaska.

He was setting a pace that kept other mushers wondering whether he could keep it up. At checkpoints, Hibbs’ dogs were eating well and resting well, which showed they were hydrated and in shape for the challenging race.

Massicotte, on the other hand, admitted to being tired at Maibec’s Sunday afternoon. He was down to 10 dogs, having taken two from his team of 12 because they weren’t performing as they should.

“I’m tired, hungry and ready for a nap,” Massicotte said in French. “Still, we are together and the dogs all look good.

“Don did the last leg faster than any of us,” he added. “I have a lot of time to make up between here and Allagash and Fort Kent.”

Cassavant, the third musher in the race, was ambivalent about Hibbs being in front.

“This is an adventure for me and the dogs,” he said, also in French. “There’s all kinds of snow out there.

“I’m in good shape, and even more important, the dogs are doing well,” he said wondering about the last 100 miles. “There’s still a long way to go.”

Carstens remained upbeat though more than two hours behind Hibbs. Carstens could not leave Maibec until 5:25 p.m., 2 hours, 23 minutes after Hibbs. Carstens is also a former winner of the classic.

All mushers must take a five-hour layover at Allagash before heading to Fort Kent, another seven- to eight-hour run. The winner was not expected at the finish line until late Monday morning.

Eleven other teams remained on the trail Sunday night. They were scattered from Rocky Brook to Allagash. Five of the original 21 teams that started the race Saturday had scratched by late Sunday afternoon.

Two other sled dog races were held Saturday in Fort Kent. They were the 30-mile Pepsi Bottling Can-Am race and the 60-mile Willard Jalbert Jr. Can-Am memorial race.

Claude Baril of St. Zenon, Quebec, won the 60-mile by 24 minutes with a time of 5 hours, 56 minutes, 44 seconds. It was his fifth win of the year in as many races.

“My dogs have been flying this season,” Baril said Saturday night. “It makes a difference when you have a young team, which has been trained to be fast dogs.”

His team is made up of 3- and 4-year olds.

Three Quebec women were within 27 minutes of one another to take the top three places in the 30-mile race. Genevieve Telmosse of Vals des Lacs, Quebec, took first place with a time of 2 hours, 33 minutes, 3 seconds. Diane Marquis came in just 90 seconds later, and Claudette Blouin, both of St. Hughes, Quebec, came in 24 minutes behind Marquis.


Have feedback? Want to know more? Send us ideas for follow-up stories.

comments for this post are closed

You may also like