FORT KENT, Maine — The 2024 Can-Am Crown International Sled Dog Races have been canceled because of a lack of snow.
"This difficult decision comes after careful consideration of the current weather patterns that have left our trails without sufficient snow coverage," organizers said in a social media post Sunday.
The races typically happen every year in Fort Kent. They were scheduled to start Friday, March 1, and run through the weekend.
President of Can-Am Dennis Cyr said this is the first time the races have been completely canceled.
"We would've been running on mud and dirt for considerable distances in various places," Cyr said. "There’s rocks that are exposed in certain places there might be some deep depression in the trails or ditches or irrigation ditches. Normally, we have enough snow to shovel those tranches in to make it safe to cross."
Organizers said the health and safety of mushers and their dogs is the top priority, ultimately deciding the warmth and lack of snow could compromise the well-being of all involved.
"The forecast has taken a turn for the worst, and we are now expecting heavy rain and a period of unseasonably warm weather causing trail conditions to deteriorate rapidly," the post explained.
Cyr said various roads along the trail that cross into the woods up by Fort Kent are bare. NEWS CENTER Maine attained drone video of the Fort Kent area, stretching to St. John's Plantation. In some areas, there is fully exposed pavement, but other parts of the trail fully covered.
Mushers like Jonathan Hayes said he understands why organizers called off the race, but the decision left him and others devastated. Hayes said he has participated in the Can-Am 30-mile race several times, and he has trained in distance races in Alaska, but this would have been his first time running the Can-Am 250-mile race.
"I literally pulled over on the side of the road and just sat there and stared at the steering wheel for five minutes," Hayes said. "There's been six months and 1,600 miles of training this season in preparation just for this single race."
Hayes said faster dogs are more easily injured in races like the Can-Am if there isn't enough snow on the trails.
"You have formula one race dogs and then you have your 1967 Chevy race dogs, the traditional dogs," Hayes said. "These really high-end performance dogs move really quick, and inconsistencies in the trail can cause injuries to them."
Hayes said he still felt confident in he and his team of dog's ability to successfully run the route.
"I mean, in the fall, everyone is training on dry ground," Hayes said. "The real question becomes can you manage the speed of the team when there's nothing to put your break into."
He runs with a purebred Seppala Siberian Huskey traditional artic team of dogs. He said the pack runs at a slow but steady pace, and his dogs are sturdy and more than capable of completing the run.
Hayes said he tested the trails this past week and despite some poorly covered areas in Fort Kent, trails over in Allagash are good to go.
To ensure that not all hope is lost, Mush Maine-Poland Spring Seppalas Kennel, which is owned by Hayes, is organizing a fun, 42-mile race in Allagash this weekend.
The race is not a formal race, and Hayes stressed the race is not in any way meant to be a future competitor for the Can-Am Crown race.
"We just want to get out and enjoy or dogs and creation and do what we've been training to do," Hayes said.
For more information about the Allagash race, click here.
Organizers said plans are already underway for next year's races.
"We look forward to welcoming you back in 2025, under more favorable conditions, to celebrate the spirit of sled dog racing together," the post stated.
The races were founded in 1992, and they've had to occasionally reroute over the years because of conditions. The race was halted early in 1994 because of thinning ice and a cold snap on race day resulted in last-minute changes in 2017. The 2021 races were also canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event normally brings thousands of spectators and valuable tourism dollars to one of the most rural parts of the Northeast. It's one of many cold weather events that has been jeopardized in recent years by increasingly warm winter temperatures in northern parts of the country. This month's Pond Hockey Classic in New Hampshire was moved from Lake Winnipesaukee because of a lack of thick ice.