Mushers stop for Kuujjuaq feast during Ivakkak race
Participants treated to country food and a few days of rest before heading out again Wednesday
Willie Cain Jr. and his teammate Tamisa Saunders arrive in Kuujjuaq Sunday before leading competitor Charlie Angnatuk. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)
Willie Cain Jr. enjoys the feast and the festivities organized for the arrival of the mushers in Kuujjuaq’s forum. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)
Dogsled racers arrived in Kuujjuaq on Sunday after travelling what some consider to be one of the most difficult trails in Nunavik for this year’s Ivakkak race.
The competition is fierce so far between two teams from Tasiujaq.
In first place is Charlie Angnatuk, who travelled 203 kilometres from Kangiqsualujjuaq to Kuujjuaq in a total time of 16 hours and 46 minutes. Right at his heels, though, is Willie Cain Jr., also from Tasiujaq, who has been competing as a musher for 21 years. He made the trek in 17 hours and nine minutes.
Eleven teams kicked off the 328-kilometre race from Kangiqsualujjuaq to Tasiujaq on Feb. 26. Since then, one team has dropped out.
Cain said the weather has been good but cold, except one day with whiteout conditions.
“[This weather] is better for the dogs,” he said in an interview during a feast in Kuujjuaq hosted for the mushers.
“But it is cold for us,” he added, laughing.
The key to keeping warm is to stay active, run next to the sled a few times, or tackle other teams, Cain said.
The competition is fierce, especially with both Tasiujaq teams at the top.
“We’re kind of friends usually, but when it comes to the race it is not so friendly,” Cain said, jokingly.
He said his strategy for the remainder of the race is to follow the leaders and avoid mistakes.
George Kauki, a previous Ivakkak participant and organizer of the arrival of mushers in Kuujjuaq, said the trail they just completed is the most difficult in Nunavik.
A pile of frozen caribou and Arctic char is available for people in Kuujjuaq’s forum. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)
“There is soft snow, mountainous terrain, you are constantly going up and down,” he said in an interview during the feast.
“This is physically and mentally exhausting, because there is no end to these hills until you reach the final checkpoint.”
Kauki compared the experience to running the Ironman triathlon race, but in -40 C weather and dehydrated because your water is frozen.
He said racers can lose up to 20 pounds during Ivakkak.
“Some of these young guys are walking like they are 55 years old right now,” Kauki joked about the mushers.
He said they generally prepare for the race year-round through specialized care they give to their dog teams. The practise makes the dogs feel like second family, and keeps the tradition of dogsledding live.
“We invest so much into our dogs for this race, not only for the race but for our culture,” he said.
Last November, Gary Anandasangaree, the federal northern affairs minister, visited Kangiqsujuaq to officially apologize for the dog slaughter that took place in Nunavik during the 1950s and 1960s.
With that apology came $45-million in compensation for Makivvik Corp. to use for cultural revitalization and healing programs.
George Kauki, left, and Makivvik president Pita Aatami congratulate the mushers for their trek so far during a stop in Kuujjuaq. (Photo by Cedric Gallant)
In an interview Monday, Makivvik president Pita Aatami said the Ivakkak race is directly tied to the dog slaughter, as the race’s purpose was to revive the dogsledding tradition since its first rendition in 2001.
The money will serve to compensate individuals who lost their dog teams, but also help people who want to raise their dogs with food subsidies, building fences and proper instruction on how to raise a dog team.
Because the Canadian-Esquimau dog breed, which was previously used by Nunavimmiut, was almost brought to extinction by the slaughter, they imported dogs from Greenland to restart the breeding lineage.
“The reason for Ivakkak was to revive dogsledding, and bring back pride,” said Aatami.
Back in the day, he said, they would invest a lot of money in snowmobile races.
“When I heard about the dog slaughter, I said, ‘Why don’t we do something,'” he said. “Why don’t we do something to bring back the dogs.”
After a checkup from a veterinarian on the status of the dogs, the race is set to resume Wednesday from Kuujjuaq.
I nominate this musher/qimuktut story, as one of the top stories of 2025.
It is somewhat late for the 2025 Ivakkak however in addition to being in it for the prize money they are also role models for the youth. That being a given, the use and abuse of illegal substances by anyone involved in the race should be an absolute NO, a reason for suspension and possibly a ban from competition for one year.