Two cousins and a buddy lead pack in Toonik Tyme snowmobile race – Nunatsiaq News

Apr 15, 2024

There was a friends-and-family finish at the Toonik Tyme snowmobile race April 14, where two cousins finished in first and second place, followed by their buddy in third.

Perry Akavak from Pangnirtung won the festival’s annual 240-kilometre Iqaluit-Kimmirut race, roaring across the finish line after about four hours and six minutes with a fully-loaded qamutik in tow.

“My qamutik kept flipping a couple of times,” a breathless Akavak said moments after winning the race. He said he was too tired to say much else.

But he earned the race’s prize — $10,000 — for his efforts. The second-place prize was $5,000, and $2,500 for third.

Akavak pulled a bottle of orange juice from a pack on his snowmobile and chugged it back while he waited for other racers to cross the finish line on the sea ice in front of Iqaluit’s marina.

Read More: https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/two-cousins-and-a-buddy-lead-pack-in-toonik-tyme-snowmobile-race/