Despite blizzards and bumps, organizers call 2016 Ivakkak a success

Willie Cain Jr. and Daniel Cain Annahatak arrive at the race’s finish line in Kuujjuaq April 12. As per Ivakkak tradition, mushers are hoisted up on their qamutik at the end of each race. (PHOTO BY PIERRE DUNNIGAN/IVAKKAK)

As it travelled down Nunavik’s Ungava coast, each time Willie Cain Jr.’s dog team picked up on the scent of the upcoming village, the team ran faster and harder, excited to reach the its destination.

And as the Ivakkak racers approached their home community of Tasiujaq, the dogs sprinted faster than ever.

“My dogs know they were home, and they sped up as we got closer,” Cain Jr. said. “Everyone was on the shore waiting for us. It was an amazing feeling.”

As Ivakkak racers left Quaqtaq March 31 and travelled south towards Kangirsuk, Tasiujaq and Aupaluk, Cain Jr. said it was that feeling of anticipation that pushed the team through the 13-day race over bumpy terrain and storm weather.

All that emotion peaked April 12 when Cain Jr. and his mushing partner, Daniel Cain Annahatak, arrived at Ivakkak’s finish line in Kuujjuaq in first place.

Cain Jr., a veteran musher running his 13th Ivakkak race, finished the route in 30 hours and 55 minutes.

After 13 days on the race trail — eight of which teams had to stay put due to blizzard conditions — a blazing sun and massive crowd of supporters greeted mushers as they arrived to Stewart Lake in Kuujjuaq.

Following Cain Jr. and Annahatak, in second place, were Puvirnituq mushers Peter Ittukallak and Putugu Iqiquq, who finished in 31 hours and 42 minutes.

Kuujjuaq mushers George Kauki and Jikka Cain Snowball finished in third place in 32 hours and six minutes.

Cain Jr. credits this year’s win to a good training routine and ensuring his dogs were well fed.

Cain Jr. has 17 dogs, 12 of which ran Ivakkak this year. He switched up between two lead dogs; a black male called Kamilik, named for the white spots covering his paws, and a female called Siutik — ears in English, because she listens so well.

With so much blowing snow, the race was challenging, Cain Jr, said. But he had the advantage of knowing the route well — it was the same Quaqtaq to Kuujjuaq route Ivakkak ran in 2010, the last time he won the race.

Ivakkak organizers hosted this year’s race a few weeks later than usual, to take advantage of warmer temperatures.

Race coordinator Jonathan Epoo said temperatures were perfect, although crews faced blowing snow almost every day of the race.

“You can’t control the weather,” Epoo laughed. “You just have to adapt to the elements.”

The most treacherous section of the race route proved to be just outside of Kangirsuk, where mushers travelled over rough sea ice on the Payne River. That took a toll on equipment; one musher’s qamutik broke, while another team was separated from their dogs.

It was along that stretch that another Tasiujaq team, mushers Billy and Charlie Cain, got stuck on sea ice overnight, launching a search and rescue to find the father and son.

Once they were located, some of their sled dogs had run off, which disqualified them from continuing on in the race.

Besides a few hiccups, Epoo said this year’s Ivakkak was successful, for both mushers and the communities who take part in the race.

“It was a demanding but rewarding experience for everyone,” he said. “It was very inspiring.”

First place winners Cain Jr. and Annahatak took home a good haul of prizes, including a $12,000 gift certificate to their local co-op, $8,000 in cash and a paid trip to Montreal.

But Cain Jr., who works as a ticket agent for Air Inuit, insists the win isn’t as important he said as the meaning behind the race.

The first Ivakkak was launched by Makivik in 2001, to help encourage Nunavimmiut to carry on with their dog sledding tradition, a practice that was nearly lost following the killing of Inuit dogs in the 1950s and 1960s.

“So the best feeling… for me, it’s just that we’re keeping it alive,” he said. “We’re very fortunate to keep the tradition alive.”

Cain Jr. is already back home in Tasiujaq, where he and his dog team are resting after the big race.

But he plans to get back out on the tundra soon, before the snow starts to melt.

“My four-year-old has been asking to go out with the dogs,” he said. “So we’re going to hit the road again soon.”

Ivakkak’s top three winners hoist their trophies at an awards ceremony at the Kuujjuaq Forum April 12, attending by Makivik Corp. officials. Tasiujaq’s Willie Cain Jr. and Daniel Cain Annahatak, centre, won the 2016 event with a total time of 30 hours and 55 minutes. In second place, Peter Ittukallak and Putugu Iqiquq of Puvirnituq, at left, finished in 31 hours and 42 minutes, while Kuujjuaq mushers George Kauki and Jikka Cain Snowball, at right, finished in third place in 32 hours and six minutes. (PHOTO BY P. DUNNIGAN/IVAKKAK)