Nunavut Quest 2023

Nunavut Quest is an annual dog sledding rally competition that began in 1999 to celebrate the creation of Nunavut.  The race alternates between Arctic Bay, Pond Inlet, and Igloolik.  This year, the race began in Igloolik and finished in Arctic Bay.  Participants compete for money, fame, and status.  The competition keeps the history & knowledge of Inuit dog sledding alive.

Running a good, competitive dog team (qimuksiqtut) requires a lot of time, effort, and passion.  Your dogs must work with you otherwise you won’t get anywhere.  They need to be trained to run vast distances for long periods of time, follow commands, know when to rest, eat the right foods, and not fight each other.  The dog musher must also train to endure & operate in the tough and unforgiving Arctic climate. 

Speaking of training, one competitor, Jovan Simic, put his dogs & himself through an intensive warmup, travelling from Iqaluit to Igloolik over land to get to the starting point.  According to CBC News North, the distance between the two communities is 887km.  He was assisted by his partner, Annie, who drove a skidoo pulling two qamutiks (sleds) loaded with supplies.  The journey took 19 days.  You can read more about his incredible journey here. 

I’ve heard of competitors travelling with their dogs over land to get to the starting point, but not a distance of 887km.  I think this is the first time since 1999.  I’ll have to ask around town for confirmation.  Previous competitors have flown their dogs and equipment at a high cost.      

The musher and their dogs are not alone for the race.  Each musher has a support team that travels ahead and sets up camp at designated rest stops.  A timer & judge also travel ahead to these stops to record the time it took for each musher to reach them.  The rally times are compiled at the end of the race and whoever’s total time is the shortest is declared the winner.

The Qikiqtani Inuit Association (QIA) sponsored the race, pledging $100,000 to assist organizers plan & run the competition, and educate people on the importance & history of dog teams to the Inuit.  The race was originally scheduled to run April 11 – 17, but two more days were needed because of bad weather.  The support teams, mushers, and Nunavut Quest staff arrived in Arctic Bay on Wednesday, April 19.  I cancelled cadets for that day.

The lead up to the arrival had everyone in town excited.  Updates on the mushers, dogs, and weather were frequently posted on Facebook.  Students at school made large welcome posters and signs.  The race was on everyone’s minds.  The population of Arctic Bay was about to increase with an influx of visitors.  The influx would be much larger this year because the Qamutik Cup hockey tournament would begin immediately after Nunavut Quest.  (More on this in a future post).

People headed down to the ice at 12:30pm to welcome the support teams.  I’m guessing a lot of people didn’t have time to finish their lunches.  The school posted a message on Facebook instructing students & staff to immediately head down to the ice because there wouldn’t be classes in the afternoon.  I managed to get there in time with the help of my skidoo.

The support teams arrived in a long convoy from the south.  I filmed the long procession of skidoos & qamutiks as people around me waved, clapped, and cheered.  The convoy drove in one big circle before breaking up and coming to a stop in front of the large crowd.  I switched from filming to taking many pictures of the meet & greets happening around me.  I also photographed the skidoos, qamutiks, and packed supplies.  An RCMP officer brought his mini drone and filmed everyone from above. 

I’ve wanted to document Nunavut Quest (NQ) up close by following the competitors and support teams from start to finish.  Unfortunately, I can’t get time off work, and I don’t have all the necessary resources & supplies to do it.  I suppose I could try being on a support team, but I think that would take me away from taking pictures & videos.  Hopefully I’ll be able to fulfill my goal one day.  It would make an epic mini-series for this blog.

The finish line was marked by two QIA flag poles.  NQ staff had to tell people to stay away from these flag poles so that the mushers could see them and give space for the dogs to pass between them.  Everyone anxiously waited for the arrival of the mushers.  I photographed the very large welcome sign made by the Grade 4 class.  The first competitor was spotted in the distance at 3pm.

Jovan Simic, wearing the number 6 on his jersey, was the first musher to cross the finish line.  Several people in the crowd lifted him & his qamutik in the air.  He raised his fists in delight.  He was lowered to the ground after a few moments.  He moved his dogs off to the side and let them rest. 

The second competitor, Number 7, arrived at 3:15pm.  He too was lifted into the air by the crowd to signify he had reached the end.  Number 2 was the third competitor to cross the finish line at 3:20pm.  Of course, he celebrated his finish by raising his arms into the air, while the crowd held him & his qamutik in the air.  The fourth competitor to arrive was Number 10 at 3:25pm.  Just like the previous three, the crowd lifted him & his qamutik into the air to celebrate his finish.

Word began to spread around this time that the remaining 8 competitors were running late.  Quite a few people decided to head back into town to get something to eat and return later.  I decided to follow the rest of the crowd and returned to school because I had work to do.  The remaining competitors arrived safely in Arctic Bay, the last one being around 5:00pm. 

The awards ceremony was held the following evening at the community hall.  The place was packed with people.  The twelve mushers sat on stage while their support teams sat in front of the stage.  A large Nunavut Quest banner made by QIA hung on the backstage wall.  The ceremony began with welcome speeches by NQ organizers.  The twelve mushers and their support teams were introduced.  This was followed by brief speeches by the main timekeeper and judge.

The final times were announced in order of last to first.  In the end, David Oyukuluk won first place and Jovan was given runner-up status.  David received a trophy, cash prize, and bragging rights.  He was proud of his achievement.

There were a few congratulatory speeches thereafter and then the awards ceremony came to an end.  Many people, including myself, went over to the hockey arena to watch the first game of the Qamutik Cup hockey tournament.

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Update: Sorry for the very, very long wait.  Other priorities got in the way of putting together a short video of Nunavut Quest 2023.  Better late than never.  You can view the video here on my YouTube channel.  Enjoy!