Web site tracks progress of Ivakkak competitors

Nunavik’s 2002 Ivakkak Dog Team race, which began last week, is being tracked daily on a Web site created for the event.

The 10 dog teams are travelling from Kuujjuaq to Quaqtaq, a distance of a little more than 400 kilometers.

Daily updates of the teams’ progress, provided by Isabelle Dubois and Vicky Simigak of Makivik Corporation, are available at www.ivakkak.com.

Ivakkak means “running at a comfortable speed.”

Makivik organizes the annual race to preserve the purebred Inuit husky dog and the traditions associated with dog teaming.

The race is expected to wind up at the end of the week — after press time at Nunatsiaq News. But the events of Day 6 of the race show the pace and rank of the dog teams becoming clear.

“The night at Nuluartalik was spent with some in a hunter’s cabin and the rest in four igluit,” the Web site reads.

“The morning began with a -25 degree temperature, no wind and light clouds. The trail was flat in the beginning and became hilly as Ivakkak approached Kangirsuk, which has hilly terrain.

“The teams were faced with open water close to Kangirsuk (which means “bay”) and had to “ivakkak” upriver, cross the river first in order to ivakkak on to Kangirsuk.

“The open water was due to the high tides that broke ice close to the shore at the last recent full moon. This was the most challenging part as the racers then had to slide down a hill through rough and broken ice along the river.

“Charlie Watt Jr. managed to arrive first today at 3 hours and 37 minutes and is still in 2nd position overall, as Junior May had to deal with a damaged ski on his sled during that slide down the river close to Kangirsuk.

“Junior May still made it at a good ivakkak of 3 hours and 50 minutes. He is still in first place overall.

“Taamusie Sivuaraapik keeps his ivakkak at 3 hours and 51 and maintains third place while Willie Kullulaaq and Bobby Novalinga vie for fourth place.

“Now they have a difference of only two minutes overall, and unless something really slows Taamusie down, they’ll be fighting for fourth position perhaps all the way to Quaqtaq.

“Charlie Inukpuk is over two hours behind them and it will be up to him to ivakkak much more if he wants to catch up with them, so far he is sixth overall.”