Cain's Quest racers 'do whatever you got to do' to help injured rival

Mark Simms and Tyson Russell of Happy Valley-Goose Bay weren't having much luck this year in the early going of Cain's Quest.

Bolts stripped from a chain case and oil leaking just outside Labrador City on Friday.

Eager to make up time on Saturday, they were hobbled again by mechanical mayhem after a centre shock broke on Simms's snowmobile.

But their priorities changed again in the afternoon deep in Labrador's interior when they came upon two rival racers stopped on the trail.

'Injured pretty badly'

It didn't look good.

So do Simms and Russell stop and lose valuable time on the clock?

Or dash onward and let others help?

The two federal fisheries officers didn't think twice.

"We … realized he's injured pretty badly here. So we chose to stay," Simms said.

We … realized he's injured pretty badly here. So we chose to stay.- Mark Simms

Team 17 partners Dave Dumaresque and Shannon Strangemore of Labrador City are both veteran racers with Cain's Quest.

But Dumaresque suffered what turned out to be a broken hip after being thrown from his sled.

Aid came quickly, and from the very people he was vying against as the unwritten Cain's Quest Code was invoked.

"When somebody's in danger like that, you do whatever you've got to do to help them out." said Simms.

'You don't pass anybody like that'

A fire was lit by Nain teammates Conrad Jenkins and Malcolm Wolfrey to warm the injured racer. Others helped stabilize Dumaresque on the ground. Painkillers were administered.

For several hours, racers forgot about the competition they had spent months preparing for.

"The race is nice, but you don't pass anybody like that. You don't think about the time you're losing," said Myles O'Brien of L'Anse au Loup, who's partnered with his son Murray.

A helicopter eventually airlifted Dumaresque, ending the race for Team 17, while those continuing on were sobered by the experience.

We've got a real life to go back to. We've both got kids and a family. So I guess deep down it probably slowed us down a little bit.- Mark Simms

"We've got a real life to go back to. We've both got kids and a family. So I guess deep down it probably slowed us down a little bit," said Simms.

'An inspiration for the community'

The incident was top of mind as 78 of the 82 original competitors who left Labrador City on Friday began filtering into Nain, beginning at mid-afternoon on Saturday.

But their minds were quickly put at ease as the people of Nain rolled out the welcome mat as the racers rested during a mandatory 12-hour layover.

"It's a big event. It's an inspiration for the community," said Nain AngajukKak — mayor — Joe Dicker.

Cain's Quest continues until Friday, with the first two-man team to reach Labrador city winning $50,000.