FORT KENT, Maine – Keith Aili will likely be the winner of this year’s Can-Am 250 race. Aili was the first to cross the finish line, but the official and finalized results will not be calculated until all mushers arrive at the Lonesome Pine Trails ski resort later tonight.
He and his dogs are expected to return around midnight, assuming a departure time of 5:07 p.m.
Aili, 51, traveled all the way from Ray, Minnesota, to join the race, according to his biography on the Can-Am website. He works as a carpenter and bear hunting guide. He started racing back in 1990 and said he looked forward to seeing the “beautiful woods of northern Maine and the great people that live there.”
In 2023, Aili placed second in the Can-Am 250.
Officials have also determined that Erin Altemus, who crossed the finish line second, will also likely be determined the second-place winner.
Altemus is 47 years old and comes from Grand Marais, Minnesota. She and her husband have been racing dogs for 14 years, she said in her Can-Am biography. They now have 30 dogs in their kennel, named Sawtooth Racing, located near Grand Marais.
Altemus received second place in the 2025 Beargrease Marathon, which is 380 miles. She received third place in the Can-Am 250 in 2022.
Final results are expected after all mushers and dog teams arrive, and race officials will likely confirm them on Tuesday.
