This year, Cain’s Quest was set to take racers into 9 communities and several remote checkpoints along the route. Specifically, Cain’s Quest 2010 was featuring communities along the North Coast. The Nunatsiavut Government and Innu Nation have been strong supporters of Cain’s Quest 2010 and organizers felt the time was right to extend the race route to include the communities of Natuashish, Nain and Hopedale. For the past two weeks, ice conditions along the coast have been steadily deteriorating and rivers and lakes have been opening up. According to the long range forecast for Labrador, there does not seem to be any improvement in sight.
Organizers feel that with the current conditions and projected weather patterns it would be unsafe to proceed as planned with the 2010 race route. Changing the route to take a different course is not an alternative at this point as the weather systems are projected to only worsen the conditions over the next two weeks. It is a great disappointment to the Cain’s Quest committee and the decision to postpone the event did not come lightly. However when the safety of racers and volunteers is in jeopardy because of the ice conditions, there is no question about what needs to be done.
Cain’s Quest will always put safety at the forefront and when faced with the situation where the committee is not 100% comfortable with the safety of everyone involved, there is no other alternative than postponement. It is with great sadness that the Cain’s Quest committee has ultimately come to this decision but the plan is to return in 2011 with a race that is bigger and better than ever before.
The organizing committee recognizes the amount of time and money that has been invested on the part of the racers who have registered for 2010 and regret that there is no other solution in sight. Racers will be given the option of having their registration fee refunded or they can remain registered as a participant of the 2011 event.
In addition, Cain’s Quest has been very fortunate in securing a number of valuable sponsorships for the 2010 event and will carry these sponsorships over to the 2011 race. The Cain’s Quest team is confident that sponsors, racers and their families will recognize the importance of safety to an event such as this and as disappointing as this outcome is for the organizing committee, sponsors, racers, volunteers and race fans, Cain’s Quest will resurge in 2011 with action, excitement and adventure like never before. The goal to incorporate the North Coast into the event will remain on the route for 2011.
The purpose of Cain’s Quest is to provide reliable, consistent, safe and honorable cross-country
snowmobile racing and recreational riding in Labrador. This is a team race, consisting of two (2) persons and two (2) snowmobiles.
www.cainsquest.com
