Jamie Anilniliak wins Toonik Tyme’s Iqaluit-Kimmirut snowmobile race with qamutik

Jamie Anilniliak raised his arms in victory as he crossed the finish line to take first place in the Toonik Tyme race from Iqaluit to Kimmirut and back on Sunday.

The Iqaluit resident beat 16 other competitors to win the $10,000 top prize with a finishing time of four hours, five minutes, and 14 seconds.

“Not an easy task to overcome,” he later posted to his Facebook page. “When you hear the word ‘Kimmirut Race’ it’s an instant excitement. Every time!”

Jamie Anilniliak celebrates his first-place finish after completing the Toonik Time Race from Iqaluit to Kimmirut and back with qamutik, Sunday. (Photo by Daron Letts)

His win was not a foregone conclusion, as a pack of five racers, each pulling a loaded qamutik, jockeyed for position throughout the 240-kilometre race.

For the Toonik Tyme race, competitors are required to tow a qamutik — a traditional wooden sled with runners — loaded with gear as if it were a hunting trip.

Lodie Ipeelie enjoyed a two-minute lead for much of the route, according to chatter over the organizers’ VHF radio. The updates came from the 10 Toonik Tyme volunteers stationed along the race route.

However, Ipeelie’s engine caught fire on his return to Iqaluit, eliminating him from the competition.

Gary Eeseemaile also fell out of contention when his engine failed. He was first to return to the start, his overheated machine pulled by a volunteer.

Eeseemaile blamed his snowmobile’s oil-cooled turbo system — which runs hot — for the mechanical problems as organizers checked on him upon his safe return.

Meanwhile, cash award winners Alex Kilabuk in second place, Stephan Noble in third place, and Davidee Kolola in fourth place each arrived within three minutes of each other, shortly after Anilniliak crossed the finish line.

Alex Kilabuk is waved in to the finish line to take second place in the Toonik Time Race to Kimmirut and back with qamutik, Sunday. (Photo by Daron Letts)

Their qamutiks bounced a metre in the air as they sped across the mogul-like terrain. The crowd reacted with a concerned chorus of “oooh” and “aaah.”

Jusipi Nakashuk arrived in fifth place about eight minutes later, sealing the final cash prize position.

Robert Padluq, a Kimmirut competitor who raced to raise awareness of suicide prevention, dropped out of the race after his qamutik cracked, catching a runner in the snow that suddenly halted his momentum and lurched him forward.

He abandoned his broken qamutik and drove past the finish line on his own power. He had a sore arm but was otherwise uninjured, he told officials.

Simon Michael Graham finished in final place with a time of five hours, 41 minutes and 50 seconds.

The day began with a prayer before the racers lined up for a footrace to scramble about six metres to their machines at 10 a.m. sharp.

“It looked like it was fun,” said Pitseolak Alainga, president of the 123Go! board, which organizes Toonik Tyme.

Annie Qimirpik, left, Enoosie Allen, and Jennifer Corcoran hold signs cheering on Robert Padluq and his message of suicide prevention from the Kimmirut side of the trail. (Photo courtesy of Edward Flynn)

The board scheduled the race a few weeks early this year to avoid wet conditions experienced last year on the Kimmirut side of the route, he said.

This year’s finish times were longer than in many past years because of banks of snow along the sea ice that made it difficult for racers to navigate between the concealed bumps beneath the snow, he said.

More than 200 spectators cheered the racers on at the Iqaluit finish line, with another 50 fans cheering the racers on from the Kimmirut side.

A second race without qamutiks is tentatively planned for 10 a.m. Sunday, said 123Go! administrator Stephen Johnson.

About a dozen of the 17 racers who competed this past weekend are expected to return, he said.

To register for the pre-race meeting at 7 p.m. Thursday, prospective racers can contact organizers at tooniktyme@gmail.com.