Nunavut Quest title up for grabs at halfway mark

Friday’s Nunavut Quest racing started with sunny skies and strong winds at Kanagjuk. The morning meeting took place at 9 a.m. with mushers, support crew and officials huddled in a circle.

Each day during the morning meeting, mushers have an opportunity to display anything they found along the trail in the previous day. Mushers get time subtracted from their race time for items they pick up along the way. Dropped items add a penalty time.

So far, the mushers have been demonstrating their professional skills with a relatively clean race compared to previous years. Now in the second half of what’s expected to be a seven-day race, mistakes are to be expected.

Nunavut Quest musher Joshua Qiliqti Ivalu (#7), from Igloolik, with his dog team on Friday, the fourth day of racing. The annual dogsled race is underway, running from Pond Inlet to Igloolik this year. (Photo by Shanshan Tian, special to Nunatsiaq News)

Like on previous days, support crews on snowmobiles departed the camp at noon and the dog teams an hour later.

The trail to the fourth checkpoint took mushers weaving through deep soft snow, covered valleys and lots of big climbs and dramatic downhills — traveling a total of 80 kilometres.

This year’s Nunavut Quest has eight dogsled teams racing from Pond Inlet to Igloolik — a route of about 500 kilometres. They’re covering an average of approximately 70 kilometres a day.

On Friday, the support teams and official snowmobiles got stuck frequently throughout the day, making the long journey feel even longer.

After one of the big climbs and steep downhill, the trail led the support crew to a long, skinny lake where Elder Quvaqtaa Charlie Inuarak pointed to Inukshuit in the distance. The Inukshuit commemorates Attagutaaluk, who survived through starvation on the land after the passing of her dog team, husband and kids by eating their dead bodies. This area was renamed to be Inukturvik— a place where a person was eaten — as a reminder of resilience, and strength Inuit have faced during unimaginable hardship.

Elder Niaqutiaq David Irngaut told stories of how he travelled by dog teams along these very trails when he was younger, before the days of snowmobiles.

For a break, the crew stopped for a spread of frozen Inuksiut and tea. The shared moment of having traditional food in the cold brought gratitude and peace, knowing that although the team has been facing windy weathers and long days, their ancestors have faced some extremely difficult moments to be where they are now.

With the tough terrain, the dogs came into the checkpoints with sore muscles eager for a good meal and rest.

Igloolik musher Jinneal Nanuraq Uttak’s dog team rests up on Friday before the start of the fourth day of the Nunavut Quest race. Eight dogsled teams are competing in the seven-day, 500-kilometre race from Pond Inlet to Igloolik that began Tuesday. (Photo by Shanshan Tian, special to Nunatsiaq News)

At the end of Day 4, the race that started Tuesday in Pond Inlet is more than half way to the finish line in Igloolik. The red, dust-covered snow is behind the crew now. The countdown is on for the arrival into Igloolik.

First to arrive at Checkpoint 4 was Jinneal Nanuraq Uttak (#1) from Igloolik. Joshua Qiliqti Ivalu (#7) came in second for the second day in a row. In third place was Lee Inuaruak (#6) from Pond Inlet. The top 3 mushers are neck and neck. Donovan Qaunaq (#4) from Arctic Bay is not far behind them and has yet to give up the fourth place spot for the fourth day in a row.

This race is still up for grabs.

Long days make for short rests. The last musher came into the checkpoint minutes before midnight, after running for approximately 11 hours.  On Friday, the camp set up for the night at Tasirjuaq Ilanga.

Day 4 order of arrival:

1. Jinneal Nanuraq Uttak (#1)
2. Joshua Qiliqti Ivalu (#7)
3. Lee Inuarak (#6)
4. Donovan Qaunaq (#4)
5. Isaac Irngaut (#5)
6. Daniel Inuarak (#3)
7. Tom Naqitarvik (#2)
8. Aidan Qaunaq (#8)