History
The idea for a snowmobile race in Labrador was around for quite some time. From a winter tourism perspective, it was felt that the region needed something to attract visitors from outside the area. Labrador needed a special event to highlight the region as a premiere snowmobiling destination. It would have to be something that would be long standing with economic benefits and it would have to be something new, exciting and popular worldwide. Taking into account that Labrador is known for its extended winter season and rugged landscape, it seemed only fitting to create an event that would showcase the true beauty of this northern region. An event such as a world class snowmobile endurance race seemed like a perfect fit.
A committee of volunteers was formed and organization began immediately from concept, to naming the event, organizing a route, marketing, logistics, sponsorship solicitation, and volunteer recruitment. The wheels were in motion and Cain’s Quest would become a reality and would prove to be a bigger success than could have ever been imagined.
The committee had decided a suitable name for the race would be Cain’s Quest. This name represents the adventure the race promises to be and captures the essence of the land that hosts it. Following the story of one of Jacques Cartier’s famous expeditions to North America, Cain’s Quest came from a reference that Cartier made to the harsh landscape. He referred to the coast of Labrador as “The land God gave to Cain”. From this story and the vision of the race, Cain’s Quest was born.
Cain’s Quest was piloted in 2006. 15 teams raced from Labrador City to Churchill Falls and return. This 1200 km race would set the stage for what would fast become the longest race of its kind in Canada. In its inaugural year, Cain’s Quest attracted 3 teams from Quebec, 10 from the Labrador City/Wabush, 1 from Goose Bay and 1 from Forteau/L’anse au Loup area. These registration numbers were indicative of what the race would become. It quickly became obvious that there was a huge appetite for this type of extreme sport. The race went off beautifully. Racers were transmitting satellite signals along the route on our website and cainsquest.com was on overload. Hits from all over Canada and the United States proved that this race was something to watch for. The race was ever changing right to the finish when the winning team seemed to come out of nowhere. Now that’s action!
From 2006 – 2009, Cain’s Quest grew in leaps and bounds and word of this extraordinary adventure spread like wildfire! In only 4 short years, registration for Cain’s Quest increased by a whopping 333% and millions were watching from more than 70 different countries across the globe right here on cainsquest,com! To date, Cain’s Quest has attracted racers from across the country as well as various U.S. states. Not only has participation rates been on the rise, the race itself has grown in terms of route distance, community involvement and prize purse. In 2010, Labrador experienced a rare occurance when in months leading up to the race, weather patterns changed creating warm temperatures. This resulted in unsafe ice conditions across Labrador. The Cain’s Quest route became impassable and there were no other alternative routes available as snow and ice continued to disappear across Labrador. In the interest of safety, the organizing committee had no choice but to postpone the race until March 2011. 24 teams had signed on for 2010 and many remained on the roster for 2011.
