Puvirnituq’s dog population has now increased by over a hundred huskies, as all the dog teams registered in this year’s edition of Ivakkak are now in this eastern Hudson coast community, from which they will be heading off tomorrow morning around 10 o’clock. While the teams from neighbouring communities dog sledded their way there, teams from the other coast of Nunavik –from Ungava bay and Hudson strait communities – where brought in by plane, courtesy of the region’s airline, Air Inuit, which transported the mushers and their dogs to Puvirnituq this past Thursday and Friday. With the five local dog teams taking part in this great race, a total of close to 180 huskies are now settled on the sea ice in front of the community, howling to one another, anxious to get going. Meanwhile, their owners and racing partners, as well as a small crew of snowmobile drivers who will act as a safety patrol on the trail, are busy getting ready for their journey across Nunavik.
____________________________
Yesterday, the group met together to go over the new set of rules and logistics of this year’s more challenging event, as well as to study the trail specifics (see Race Information menu to find out more about the rules and have a look at the trail maps).
During the meeting, race number bibs were also drawn to determine in which order the dog teams will be starting tomorrow morning (see result box below). Superstitious, the Inuit mushers decided to leave the dreaded number 13 out of the draw.
The teammates also picked up some fish and caribou meat that Puvirnituq hunters had gathered for them, as well as a few bags each of dry dog food, sponsored by the Federation of Cooperatives of Northern Quebec (FCNQ) and Red Paw, a company that specializes in making sled dogs performance food.
In the evening, the community had organized a music jam, with performers from all around the coast of Nunavik, to welcome the mushers and their partners, as well as the snowmobile safety patrol.
Today, they will be treated to a community feast for lunch, after which they will have to go do some shopping at the local Co-op for their own food and supplies, which they will be carrying on their sled until the halfway checkpoint in Payne Lake, where they will be able to stock up again. Meanwhile, the snowmobile crew will also be filling up their machines and qamutiks (sleds) with enough gas for the road ahead. For all these purchases, the local Co-op has generously agreed to give Makivik, which will be paying for all this, a 10% discount.
Some will also take the opportunity of this last day before the start of the race, to go check out the trail ahead with their dogs. But tonight, the mushers and their partners will all be in, busy packing for their journey, tuning their sled runners and tending to their dogs to make sure they too are ready for the big day tomorrow.
We wish them all the best!
| Rank |  |
Racer | |
Start | |
Arrival | |
Arrival date | |
Total Time |
| 1. | |
Peter Ittukallak | |
|
|
|
||||
| 2. |
|
Peter Kiatainaq | |
|
|
|
||||
| 3. |
|
Novalinga Novalinga | |
|
|
|
||||
| 4. |
|
Adamie Inukpuk | |
|
|
|
||||
| 5. |
|
Harry Okpik | |
|
|
|
||||
| 6. |
|
Willie Cain Jr. | |
|
|
|
||||
| 7. |
|
Adamie Qumak | |
|
|
|
||||
| 8. |
|
John Jack Séguin | |
|
|
|
||||
| 9. |
|
Simeonie Elijasiapik | |
|
|
|
||||
| 10. |
|
Poasi Kenuajuak | |
|
|
|
||||
| 11. |
|
Jusipi Lucassie | |
|
|
|
||||
| 12. |
|
Jani-Marik Beaulne | |
|
|
|
||||
| 13. |
|
None | |
|
|
|
||||
| 14. |
|
Johnny Arnatuk | |
|
|
|
||||
| 15. |
|
Tamusi Sivuaraapik | |
|
|
|
