Walkers for cancer research arrive in Igloolik ahead of schedule

A group of women walking 70 kilometresto Igloolik from Hall Beach to raise money for breast cancer research made very good time,arrivinga day sooner than they expected.

The Women in Action: Steps of Hope team arrived in Igloolik Tuesday evening. The group had left Hall Beach on Monday morning and were expecting to take three days to walk to their destination.

Edna Elias, Nunavut's commissioner andthe group's leader, wasatIgloolik'sTujurmivikHotel Wednesday morning nursing sore muscles.She said the walkerswere in good spirits, despite being a bit stiff.

The team of eight walked about 28 kilometres on Mondaybut the weather made itslow going.

"I think this was the most gruelling of the three journeys I've participated in," saidElias. "Right from Day 1, we had snow flurries, blowing snow, and about 50 clicks when we left Hall Beach and it continued throughout the journey."

Another challenge was thatthe snow was almost to their knees,she said, making walking "like riding an elliptical."

The guides travelling with the women estimated it would take the group five to seven days to cover the distance instead of three at the pace they were going.

She saidthey took the advice of the guides and rode on snowmobiles and qamutiit over deep snow until there was hard-packed snow closer to Igloolik.

A crowd of a couple hundred people were on the sea ice in Igloolik to greet the walkers, saidElias, including 12 to 15 Canadian Rangers.

"The Canadian Rangers were all lined up, about 30 feet apart," she said. "And each time we passed one, they joined and walked in behind us."

Iqaluit Mayor Mary Wilmanalso walkedwith the group.

"Although we did not know each other well we have never worked together or gone through challenges togetherwe got together, shared great discussions," she said in Inuktitut.

On the walk, the women carried the names of breast cancer survivors and those who have died from cancer.

"The reason I took part was because of my older sister," saidWilman.

"I wanted to remember my older sister. She lost her fight to cancer."

Elias saidso far this year the group has raised more than $50,000 for the Alberta Cancer Foundation.