Three dog teams from Puvirnituq march into the top five


218IDToday was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect for the 45 miles leading to Tasiujaq from Qalialuk, where the dog teams were camped last night. The sun, which was shining brightly, made it just warm enough for the men to enjoy their day out. Yet the chilly air served to keep their furry companions from sweating too much. As one might expect, a lot can happen on long stretches like the distance covered today, and it sure did. A number of participants were able to improve their overall positions, especially three teams from Puvirnituq. (see results below).

Today was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect for the 45 miles leading to Tasiujaq from Qalialuk, where the dog teams were camped last night. The sun, which was shining brightly, made it just warm enough for the men to enjoy their day out. Yet the chilly air served to keep their furry companions from sweating too much. As one might expect, a lot can happen on long stretches like the distance covered today, and it sure did. A number of participants were able to improve their overall positions, especially three teams from Puvirnituq. (see results below).

Charlie Watt Jr.’s withdrawal from the race this morning, right before the other dog teams departed from camp in the opposite direction, left a big hole in the race today. It also produced changes in the overall ranking for Ivakkak 2005. Of course, except for the top three mushers, everybody moved up one position. But that’s not all…

Aisara Kenuajuak, whose overall position was just behind Charlie yesterday, somehow managed to pass a couple of his opponents and finish only a few minutes behind Peter Kiatainaq, who was the first to arrive in Tasiujaq this afternoon. Aisara is now in third place, followed by Novalinga Novalinga and Tamusi Sivuaraapik, all from Puvirnituq. It can definitely be said that Puvirnitummiut took the top five by storm today!

For his part, Tamusi, who was in seventh place before Charlie’s departure, was able to jump all the way to fifth place today, after passing Willie Cain Jr. Willie’s progress was slowed when his dogs became tangled with Novalinga Novalinga’s team, on the only descent along this leg of the course to Tasiujaq.

Nevertheless, Willie was happy to reach his home in Tasiujaq and was given a very warm welcome by his friends and family when he finally arrived at midday. A clamour of cheers welcomed his arrival and many of the village’s children rushed to meet him. Very proud of this young man’s performance in Ivakkak 2005, community members hoisted Willie and his sled onto their shoulders in order to proclaim this young man their very own hero.

Some of the dog teams took quite some time to make it to Tasiujaq. Perhaps it was the rough ride, or the lack of snow on the trail that slowed them down, or simply the longer distance covered today. It is on long stretches like this that good training prior to the race, and even off-season training, will pay off.

To welcome the arrival of the dog teams, the community organized a feast where everybody got to enjoy all kinds of food, traditional and other. After a long day like today, nothing is better than a good meal in good company.

With a shorter distance to cover, tomorrow’s start is planned for late morning. That is, if the teams get out at all: a blizzard warning is currently in effect for most of the Ungava Bay area…

Rank Racer Today’s Time Total Time
1. Peter Kiatainaq 5h 42m 38s 25h 48m 04s
2. Willie Kulula Sr. 5h 52m 39s 26h 30m 49s
3. Aisara Kenuajuak 5h 48m 41s 27h 23m 50s
4. Novalinga Novalinga 6h 37m 36s 27h 56m 31s
5. Tamusi Sivuaraapik 5h 54m 15s 29h 08m 37s
6. Willie Cain Jr. 6h 24m 56s 29h 13m 30s
7. Adamie Inukpuk 6h 12m 33s 29h 56m 00s
8. John Jack Séguin 6h 20m 02s 30h 31m 21s
9. Juusipi Qisiiq 6h 30m 11s 31h 06m 32s
10. George Annanack 6h 27m 22s 31h 07m 21s
11. Masiu Nassak 6h 30m 01s 31h 41m 05s
12. Simeonie Elijassiapik 6h 47m 28s 32h 26m 28s
13. Harry Okpik 7h 11m 08s 32h 56m 36s
14. Nutaraaluk Iyaituk 7h 12m 52s 33h 11m 51s
15. Lucassie Alayco Sr. 8h 11m 26s 36h 53m 38s
16. Johnny Arnatuk 9h 09m 58s 38h 26m 59s

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The return of the Inuit Dogs

At the end of the last century, the pure-breed Husky dog was nearly extinct in Nunavik. Nowadays, Inuit people mostly travel by snowmobile. Yet, the memories of another time when dogs were man’s most reliable partners are not so far behind. Long known to be man’s best friend, dogs were once essential to the survival of Inuit in the merciless arctic environment. In fact, only a few decades ago, sled dogs were a foundation of the Inuit nomadic way of life.

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