Nunavik Adventure Challenge

The Spin Sport Plein Air Team Win the International Nunavik Adventure Challenge!

Daniel Poirier (EnduranceAventure) / 05.04.2012

After three days of intense effort, the Quebec team Spin Sport Plein Air made up of Ian Beaulieu and Simon Côté won the very first International Nunavik Adventure Challenge. They completed the course in 13h 34min 39sec. The Quebecers finished ahead of the Americans (Out There) including Make Kloser, a quadruple world adventure racing champion, competing for the first time in an international event with his son, Christian Kloser, who is 18 years old.

For this third and ultimate stage of the race, participants could choose between skis or snowshoes. They had to cross a valley via a spectacular 200-metre zip-line and use their map to find their way across 55 kilometres of fabulous territory surrounding the Kangiqsualujjuaq village.

After spending a night in an Inuit camp that was all set up for them before the race (as a fun and well appreciated surprise) on the second night of the race, the teams returned to racing as of 8:30 a.m. under sunny skies and in -25°C weather. We must mention a kind gesture on behalf of the Spin Sport Plein Air team who showed exceptional sportsmanship at this stage by deliberately choosing to offer their faster skis to the Americans in order to guarantee a fair race.

The Americans, who had yet to receive their luggage and equipment, were forced to race using equipment loaned to them by other teams such as Spin Sport Plein Air. “We knew that we had a chance to win the race and we did not want this victory to be based on equipment alone. Since the Out There team was leading the race with us, we decided to lend them our skis. It was a risky decision, but we are very proud that we did it,” said the captain of the team, Ian Beaulieu of Baie-Comeau.

At the end of the 3rd day of racing, Mont Torngate, Kangiqsualujjuaq’s local team, completed their first international adventure race in 17:38:48, in 7^th place. Their great performance made everyone in the community really proud. They proved that they have the endurance and tenacity of their ancestors and Nunavik elders.

When Jobie Unatweenuk arrived back in Kangiqsualujjuaq March 27 after completing their first international adventure race, he said the feeling was “pretty good.” As he and his teammate David Unatweenuk started passing houses as they made their way to the finish line, people came out of their homes to cheer the pair on. Team Nunavik, the only local competitors, completed the race March 27 in seventh position, crossing the finish line to a line of more than 200 local residents cheering the duo on. That is more than 25% of the community! “It was pretty good to see all the people waiting for us there,” Unatweenuk said. “The community has been really great, they’re very proud.”