Jimmy Kilabuk Run/Walk raises $2,000 for youth fitness

Close to 90 runners and walkers of all ages took part in the City of Iqaluit’s Jimmy Kilabuk Fun Run/Walk on Saturday.

It was the first time in the event’s eight-year history that the race took place on the tundra at Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park.

Participants of the Jimmy Kilabuk Fun Run/Walk gather at the Iqaluit Kuunga Pavilion in Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park Saturday for prizes and food. (Photo by Mosha Folger)

“People said they enjoyed it. People said they liked the location overall,” wrote organizer Cat Bobiash, a fitness and wellness co-ordinator at the Iqaluit Aquatic Centre, in an email on Tuesday.

Anthony Morell won the five-kilometre race with a time of 19 minutes.

“I really enjoyed running through the park, under the sunshine, the gravel road, no cars and with the little hill adding a fun challenge,” Morell said. “And the post-race was amazing with the barbecue and concert. I’ll run again in 2027 for sure.”

Herb Eaton finished first in the three-kilometre race. There was also a non-competitive walk for parents with children.

The lineup for hot dogs and hamburgers was long, but live music by Jaqqa Peterson, a Greenlander based in Iqaluit, and Igloolik’s Terry Uyarak provided entertainment.

Nunavik recording artist Beatrice Deer and Greenlandic singer-songwriter Naja P, in town over the weekend for the Alianait Arts Festival, also took turns on the mic.

The event raised $2,000 for the city’s Jimmy Kilabuk Children’s Recreation Fund, established in 2017 to support Inuit children and families on income assistance to participate in programs at the Aquatic Centre.

The fundraiser will be held in the park again next year, Bobiash said.

— With files from Mosha Folger