Spring arrived one day earlier up North, the sun finally shnining over the heads of the qimutisitiit on this March 20th of 2003. Unfortunately, the sun really heated things up for most teams participating in this third edition of the Ivakkak dog sled race. The qimutsitiit and their crew were in for a long ride, as everything seemed to go wrong on (or off) the trail.
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After a forced break yesterday, due to persistant bad weather, the dogs were impatient to go this morning. It was a good thing that they got to rest the previous day, as most teams had to ride from dawn to dusk, and some even until dark. Although the weather was finally at its best, the sun shining high in a clear blue sky, everything else went wrong. Right after the start was kicked off, some teams took the wrong turn and ended up riding in rough terrain, between sharp rocks and bare ground. That’s how George Annanack almost lost his dogs. His main line got cut off on one of the sharp stone, leaving the dogs on their own. Fortunately, he managed to catch it before the dogs ran away leaving their load behind. But as he was holding on to 10 huskies in full shape, another team passed him, making his dogs eager to go even more. As they pulled harder and harder, he ended up being dragged behind and eventually dislocated his left shoulder. That’s when things started happening, creating a snowball effect. One of the race officials, rushing to help George, hit a rock with his snowmobile, busting his chaincase, while another support crew broke his qamutik in the same way. Fortunately, these problems were fixed right on the spot. But for George, it was another story. For him, it was over. He had to be driven back to Salluit to get proper medical care. From there, he was flown to Puvirnituq to have X-rays of his shoulder taken, before it was put back into place. His support crew, Rina Snowball, who had originally started the race for him in Kangiqsujuaq (see Day 2 Race Update, under Race Coverage), took over the team once again and will continue with his dogs until Akulivik. George will be meeting the other qimutsitiit there, to celebrate with them when the race is over. Meanwhile, some other teams that had taken the wrong turn, were back on track. Half of the participating dog teams made it to camp, 40 miles or so later, before dusk. The other half only realized much later that they were off roading. This wrong turn ended up being a long detour and most of those teams arrived as the sun was setting, some even later, way past supper time. But at 8:30 PM, Adamie Inukpuk was still not in sight. Support crews went looking for him in all kinds of directions, but it wasn’s until early morning that they found him. His dogs had turned back, tracking their own steps back towards Salluit, close to which the famous Nanook of the North was found.
| Rank |  |
Racer | |
Today’s Time | |
Total Time |
| 1. | |
Peter Kiatainaq | |
5 hrs 57 min 42 sec | |
30 hrs 6 min 43 sec |
| 2. |
|
Charlie Watt Jr. | |
5 hrs 58 min 45 | |
30 hrs 19 min 34 sec |
| 3. |
|
Willie Kulula Sr. | |
5 hrs 56 min 57 sec | |
30 hrs 24 min 36 sec |
| 4. |
|
Bobby Novalinga | |
6 hrs 28 min 55 sec | |
32 hrs 27 min 57 sec |
| 5. |
|
Charlie Inukpuk | |
6 hrs 41 min 23 sec | |
36 hrs 2 min 5 sec |
| 6. |
|
Tamusi Sivuaraapik | |
6 hrs 27 min 17 sec | |
36 hrs 5 min 11 sec |
| 7. |
|
Harry Okpik | |
6 hrs 48 min 25 sec | |
37 hrs 30 min 27 sec |
| 8. |
|
Rina Snowball | |
10 hrs 26 min 41 sec | |
42 hrs 42 min 37 sec |
| 9. |
|
Aisara Kenuayuak | |
10 hrs 50 min 37 sec | |
42 hrs 46 min 54 sec |
| 10. |
|
Juani Beaulne | |
9 hrs 47 min 23 sec | |
47 hrs 5 min |
| 11. |
|
Willie Cain Jr. | |
11 hrs 7 min 40 sec | |
47 hrs 29 min 34 sec |
| 12. |
|
Adamie Qumak | |
10 hrs 56 min 42 sec | |
50 hrs 3 min |
| 13. |
|
Nutaraaluk Iyaituk | |
10 hrs 24 min 1 sec | |
50 hrs 9 min 54 sec |
| 14. |
|
Adamie Inukpuk | |
11 hrs 22 min 40 sec | |
50 hrs 12 min 17 sec |
