Mushers kick off Ivakkak race

Eleven dog teams and their mushers kicked off the 2025 Ivakkak race in Kangiqsualujjuaq on Wednesday to start their 328-kilometre journey to the finish line in Tasiujaq.

The race was supposed to begin Monday, but weather conditions caused delays. By Wednesday the skies were blue and the racers could enjoy the scenery for about 50 kilometres as they covered the first leg of the race.

They crossed the George River by the end of the day and entered into the Tunulik region where they stopped for the night.

The first team to arrive was Tasiujaq’s Charlie Angnatuk and Zachariah Saunders, who took four hours and 42 minutes to complete the first leg, nearly 30 minutes ahead of their competitors.

Next came Kuujjuaq’s Kyle Aitchison and Joshua May, followed by Aupaluk’s Aloupa Grey Etook and Eric Annahatak, and then Tasiujaq’s second team made up of Willie Cain Jr. and Tamisa Saunders. Those three teams arrived within one minute of each other.

Mushers decided to camp another day in Tunulik due to whiteout conditions, blowing snow and extreme cold, according to a Facebook post made by the Ivakkak team. The cold even affected the staff’s Starlink equipment.

Kuujjuaq Pinguatitsijingiit Inc., the community’s recreation organization, expected the mushers to arrive in Kuujjuaq on Saturday if weather permitted but with this recent delay no new update was shared by the organization.

A feast is planned to be held at the forum, with games and prizes to be handed out for community members.

A couple of more days of racing remain after Kuujjuaq before the mushers get to the finish line in Tasiujaq.

Of the 11 teams that are racing, five are from Tasiujaq, three from Puvirnituq, one from Kangiqsujuaq, one from Aupaluk and one from Kuujjuaq.