Set to start at noon today, the race had to be delayed, due to bad weather. Warnings from local elders about a forthcoming blizzard revealed to be accurate as high winds hit the area in the afternoon, whisking off loose snow and eventually leading to a complete whiteout later on during the day. The stormy weather, expected to last at least another day, the start of the race has been postponed until further notice.

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Even though the sky was still clear in the morning, after checking the weather forecast and consulting with knowledgeable Inuit elders, the race officials had to call off the start. At 11:00 AM, when they met with the participants on the sea ice to announce their decision, the wind was already blowing and the temperature bitterly cold. Later on during the day, it became obvious that the officials had taken the right decision, as the wind picked up even more, easily reaching 60 km/hr. Had they left as planned, the dog teams would have not made it very far before the storm would have caught up to them. Expected to last for at least another day, the group would have been stuck out on the land for a while, not to mention the risk of getting lost in the whiteout. Instead, the participants stayed in and got more time to prepare. All went out to tend to their dogs, some even building snow walls to protect them from the wind. The dogs were curled up in a ball, their nose hidden in their fur, as snow slowly covered them, giving them some kind of insulation against the cold. In the afternoon, some qimutsitiit (Inuit mushers) went to the school and made a presentation on the handling of the traditional whip Inuit use to discipline their dogs. Kids of all ages hence learned that the whip is not designed to hit the dogs per say, but rather to discipline them with its sharp sound snapping close to them. Tamusi Sivuaraapik, Bobby Novalinga and Juani Beaulne, all from Puvirnituq, gave a demonstration of their ability, with a friendly competition where they had to make different objects fall by snatching them with their whip. Small children, teenagers and teachers alike were in awe. Some were even given the opportunity to try it out, under the close supervision of their elder, Tamusi Sivuaraapik, who got a round of applause and many laughs when he demonstrated other use for the whip, such as skipping rope. In the evening, the wind got even worse, reaching speeds of as much as 80 km/hr and causing drifting snow to swirl in strong gusts of wind. The weather forecast for the next day does not look much brighter. The race may well have to be postponed another day, until the weather clears up.