01/04/2026
We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! As we reflect on what we’re grateful for, the Can-Am community is at the top of our list. This race wouldn’t be possible without the incredible mushers who return year after year, bringing passion, determination, and a whole lot of heart to Fort Kent.
Today we’re kicking off our Meet the Mushers series with a name many of you know well... Martin Massicotte.
Meet the Musher - Martin Massicotte
Race: 2026 Irving Woodlands 250 Mile
Kennel: Chenil des Patriotes
Lead Dogs:
Remie – 4-year-old female Alaskan
Gotcha – 3-year-old female Alaskan
Ivory – 5-year-old female Alaskan
Henry – 2-year-old male Alaskan
Race Highlights:
11-time Can-Am 250 Champion (1998–2025)
2025 Can-Am Crown 250 – 1st place
2023 Can-Am Crown 250 – 3rd place
2019 Can-Am Crown 250 – 1st place
2022 Iditarod – 21st place (1,000 miles)
2020 Beargrease Marathon – 4th place (300 miles)
2025 UP200 – 1st place (250 miles)
Yukon Quest 2003 – 6th place
Two-time Hudson Bay Quest Champion
Bio:
When I was 8, I put a harness on our house dog, a big St-Bernard! Then one day I saw a team of several dogs ant that's when I realized that I wanted to harness more dogs. As a teenager I was doing sprint races, and it was only in 1996 that I actually started doing longer distances races, racing from 60 miles to 400 miles in the same year, the Labrador 400. I climbed the ladder and I started winning the Can Am Crown 250 in 1998, the in 2025 I won it for the 11th time. I did the race circuit in the North East America, but in 2003 I run the Yukon Quest where I placed sixth.
I won the Hudson Bay Quest in Manitoba twice and and I placed second at the UP200 in Michigan many times, but last year I won my first UP200. In 2022, I realize my dream of running the Iditarod and finished 21th.
My wife MJ Dulong published a book of my life and adventures. What I like the most about dog sledding is to be in the wilderness, discover new territories and specially to listen to my dogs and to see that we are an amazing team between humankind the beast.
Stay tuned as we continue to introduce the mushers who make the Can-Am Crown such a special part of winter in the Valley.
