Runners take to the streets of Iqaluit

A strong northwest wind greeted competitors in Saturday’s Iqaluit Run 2024 but it might have worked to some runners’ advantage, says Bart Nichol, who finished in first place in the five-kilometre race.

“The wind is bad, but it’s perfect for today,” Nichol, a high school teacher, said after crossing the finish line with an unofficial time of 31 minutes.

“It’s a headwind, heading out,” he added.

Bart Nichol, a high school teacher, approaches the finish line in first place in the five-kilometre run, part of Saturday’s Iqaluit Run 2024, organized by the African & Caribbean Association of Nunavut. (Photo by Corey Larocque)

In total, 84 people participated in the event, said Kabelo Mokoena, president of the African & Caribbean Association of Nunavut which organized the first-time event.

The organizers put up prize money for each race, with $1,000 as the biggest prize for first place in the 10-kilometre race.

For the five-kilometre race, runners left from the Nakasuk Elementary School parking lot, headed toward the airport and then came back to the school.

That meant they ran into the wind for the first half, but had it behind them as they headed toward the finish line.

Nichol said that made it “like running downhill, [coming] home.”

Nichol was greeted near the finish line by his son Alec, who had just finished the two-kilometre run. It was a family affair: Nichol’s wife — Alec’s mother — Fiona Main ran the 10-kilometre race, then turned around and completed the two-kilometre event with her son.

“I’ve been running for a lot of years, but I’m not really serious,” she said after running 12 kilometres in two events Saturday morning.

The weather played havoc with the 10-kilometre run that took runners out to the Arctic Winter Games Arena, then to the airport before coming back to the school. The sun was bright and the temperature was about 11 C.

Alazar Letta, a 33-year-old City of Iqaluit worker who finished second in the 10-kilometre run, said the sun, wind and temperature made it “very confusing.” He said he didn’t know when to take his sweater off, as he warmed up the further into his run he got.

The winner of the 10-kilometre race, Derick Atemkeng, finished wearing the black tuque and green windbreaker he started with. His unofficial time was 56 minutes.

Derick Atemkeng gestures to a friend after claiming first place in the 10-kilometre race in Saturday’s Iqaluit Run 2024. Over his shoulder, second-place finisher Alazar Letta, records his time with a run official. (Photo by Corey Larocque)

The 39-year-old janitorial manager, originally from Cameroon, said he started running as a child and hasn’t stopped. Atemkeng said he trained for the run by going up the hill near Nunavut Arctic College. That stretch of road was part of the downhill route for the 10-kilometre run.

“I’m so proud of the city of Iqaluit for supporting this event,” he said after crossing the finish line.

Francois Arnatsiaq, who said he is more into hockey and soccer at home in Igloolik, placed third in the 10-kilometre race, the first time he had ever run that distance.

“I only do five kilometres back home,” he said.

Fun was the name of the game for a lot of participants.

“It’s always nice to run with friends,” said Martha Lenio, who took on the five-kilometre run with her friend’s dog Millie.

She called five kilometres “an achievable distance without a lot of training.” But the 10-kilometre run is for more serious runners, she added.

Iqaluit Run 2024 Results
10-kilometre run
1. Derick Atemkeng
2. Alazar Letta
3. Francois Arnatsiaq

Five-kilometre run
1. Bart Nichol
2. Matthew Senkow
3. Adrien Wensly

Two-kilometre run
1. Caitlyn Godard
2. Odette Wills
3. Curtis Mesher