FORT KENT – Five years ago – during his first Can-Am Crown 250 International Sled Dog Race attempt – Bruce Langmaid led for much of the race … reached the outskirts of Fort Kent in first place … and found out he had a bit of a problem.

Ten miles from the finish, Langmaid’s dogs – six of which were his and six of which belonged to someone else – couldn’t reach an agreement on whether to run or not. The “resters” eventually outvoted the “runners,” and the team finally limped into town in third place.

Langmaid said that experience serves as a constant reminder when he competes here.

“The spot where I had the problem is always a ‘remember when’ [kind of place],” Langmaid said.

On Monday morning, Langmaid again neared Fort Kent and the finish line of the MBNA 250. Again, he was in the lead. But this time, as he passed his “remember when” place, he was able to enjoy the experience a bit more.

Langmaid, a 45-year-old from Blackstock, Ontario, led for the final 100 miles of the race, brought a healthy and happy nine-dog team to the finish line at Lonesome Pine Trails, and was able to enjoy – more or less – a hard-earned victory.

“I wasn’t thinking about the win,” Langmaid admitted to a small group of well-wishers an hour after finishing at 6:22 a.m. “I was thinking about getting off the sled. It wears thin after awhile.”

Here’s how thin: Over a 44-hour span, Langmaid traversed some rugged country that led from Fort Kent to Portage Lake, on to Big Machias Lake and Maibec’s Logging Camp, and finally Allagash and a 47-mile jaunt to the finish line.

During that time, he fed his dogs. He watered his dogs. He encouraged and petted and hugged his dogs. He figures he lost between 15 and 20 pounds, mostly because he ended up pushing his sled up many of the steep hills he and his team encountered. And sleep?

The dogs got a bit. Langmaid got very little.

“I got [a total of] an hour and a half in the two nights, and I didn’t sleep at all the night before because I was so wound up,” Langmaid said. “But I’ll sleep like a bear: I’ll sleep for a couple of months now.”

Langmaid was third in the race a year ago. The victory earned him $4,500, plus additional money for having the fastest time in various stages. The distribution of “stage” money won’t be known until everyone finishes; if a musher doesn’t finish the race, he or she can’t collect any accrued stage money.

Boyd Wilson of McArthur’s Mills, Ontario, finished second, arriving in Fort Kent with five working dogs – and one in the sled – at 9:10 a.m. Stephane Duplessis of St-Zenon, Quebec, was third. He finished at 9:15 a.m.

Wilson, who has won the Can-Am Crown 60-miler twice, stepped up to the 250 this year. He said the experience was grueling.

“It’s tougher than you could ever, ever imagine,” Wilson said. “It’s tough mentally. It’s tough physically. It’s harder on you, mentally, in the middle of the night. At 4 o’clock this morning, I was thinking, ‘I don’t know if I can go.'”

Wilson considered scratching at the Allagash checkpoint because he had only six dogs that could continue, but decided to set out for Fort Kent and try to finish.

“It makes it tough, but you’ve got to take who’s healthy,” Wilson said. “Basically [the thought was], we’ve run 200 miles. We’re gonna try. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work.”

Wilson said Duplessis caught up with him 18 miles from the finish, but never passed him.

Wilson earned s $3,500 paycheck for his effort while Duplessis took home $2,500.

Langmaid’s margin of victory (2 hours, 48 minutes) contrasted with last year’s result, as only 40 minutes separated the first four mushers in 2002.

Mushers were slowed only slightly by a winter storm that largely missed the Allagash and Fort Kent area, while wreaking havoc closer to Caribou. About 4 inches of snow fell in Fort Kent Sunday night, and the snow had stopped by 10 p.m.

Racers did face cold and windy weather on Monday morning, and when Langmaid finished, the wind chill made it feel well below zero.

In all, 26 mushers started the 11th edition of the Can-Am Crown 250. Many encountered difficulty and ended up dropping out of the race.

Langmaid inherited the lead shortly after leaving the Maibec checkpoint, which is 138 miles into the race. He entered the checkpoint in second place, but race leader Scott Smith of Dubois, Wyo., turned back and returned to Maibec after leaving. Smith scratched from the race.

Langmaid gave away some ground to Smith and other early leaders on the first two legs, taking a four-hour rest at the first checkpoint while some others – like Smith – opted to keep going. But when Langmaid arrived at Big Machias Lake, 83 miles into the race, he stopped for just 38 seconds before hitting the trail again.

His dogs ended up running what amounted to a 61-mile leg, taking a break, and completing another 77-mile leg (which actually encompassed two race sections). He took another four-hour layover in Maibec before taking control of the race.

Racers are required to rest at the first three checkpoints for a total of eight hours, and must take another five-hour break at the Allagash checkpoint. Langmaid left Allagash 1 hour, 40 minutes ahead of Wilson and 1:53 in front of Duplessis.

Langmaid’s journey wasn’t without a few tests.

The most serious came on Sunday evening, just before he arrived in Allagash. Langmaid got off the trail, ended up on Route 161, and began knocking on doors to find out where he was. Three doors later, he found a family that was home and received the directions he sought.

Langmaid said there was one big difference between this year’s team and the team he brought to Fort Kent in 1998. This time, all 12 dogs he started with were his. In ’98, he brought six “borrowed” dogs, and the team’s chemistry wasn’t as good as it could have been.

“The dogs really have to be your dogs in order to be in this type of event, I feel. At least when they become tired,” Langmaid said. “When they’re tired they’re doing it because they want to please you, and they’re trusting that whatever you’re gonna put them through, it’s gonna be OK.”

As of Monday morning, a record 14 mushers had scratched from the race. The previous high was eight scratches, which occurred in both 2000 and 2002.