Nunavut Quest sled dog race back after a pandemic break

Key takeaways: 

• The race is slated to start on April 18 and stay till April 25.
• Amosie Sivugat waves to the public after succeeding the 2015 Nunavut Quest. 
• Quest racers travel around 500 kilometers per year, starting in Pond Inlet and ending in Arctic Bay. 

Races in Quest resume again after covid disruptions: 

For the first time in two years, squads of mushers and dogs racing across the Baffin province in the Nunavut Quest. 

Before this week, the Nunavut Quest Committee met to finish the objectives for this year’s race, including the number of players who will contend and the prize cash available. 

Moses Oyukuluk, the chair of the Nunavut Quest Committee, urged mushers to proclaim their place early.

“It’s still better to be well-prepared, and registration is now open till April 5,” Oyukuluk stated in Inuktitut. 

“Everyone is nervous about taking part during spring climate.”

The race will start on April 18 and last till April 25. This year’s race will begin at Arctic Bay and finish in Igloolik, around 400 kilometers. 

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The first-place champion will take home $20,000. The committee has declared that all finishers will take home some cash through to seventh place. 

Because of COVID-19, only 14 players in capacity will be permitted to contest this year. 

Committee member Crystal Natanine stated the course might also vary as planning persists in a Facebook post.

Oyukuluk told the best part of the track is usually near Igloolik, where the sea ice is mainly flat. The circumstances are uneven this year, but the race is moving ahead. 

One of the mushers keen to get back on the path is 37-year-old Jonah Qaunaq, a two-time conqueror of the Nunavut Quest.

He states he’s not in it for the prize cash — he is most looking forward to the fresh air, physical exercise, and the opportunity to meet other mushers.

Source – cbc.ca