January and February were busy months across the Northwest Territories, with NWT Recreation and Parks Association reporting this year was the most active Walk to Tuk ever.

NWTRPA director of active communities Bri Krekoski said more participants walked more kilometres in 2021 than ever before SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½” over 5,579 people from 31 communities walking 752,215 km, beating last year's record by almost 30,000 km.

In total, 495 teams took to the trails this year, an increase of 40-50 teams from 2020.

"We've had a lot of communities and a lot of people participating and a lot of engagement. It's been really fantastic," said Krekoski. "We've got almost all of the communities SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½” 31 out of 33 communities in the NWT created teams. So for me that's a really huge success.

"Our goal this year was to get all NWT communities, so we came really close."

Making the achievement even sweeter was the fact the growth was in-territory. Krekoski noted that while Walk to Tuk is open to anyone, the underlying point was improving overall health and well being in the NWT. So the organization shifted its focus to encourage more participation.

She noted that the limitations Covid-19 has placed on public gatherings has also put a hold on a lot of athletic activities for kids and adults, so things like Walk to Tuk were excellent opportunities to get out and active in a team setting.

A few changes along the way also may have helped in the increased numbers. Krekoski said NWTRPA opted to not provide T-Shirts to all participants, instead focusing its resources into more prizes. Among the swag given out were a dozen $1,000 recreation grants, beaver mitts for team captains, three grand prize flight passes to fly anywhere (in the NWT) and numerous smaller prizes.

Krekoski said it was enough NWTRPA could provide prizes for every community, including for best team name, which was won by team Cirque de Sore Legs, which edged out an Inuvik Team, Up to Snow Good, by a vote of 51 to 49 per cent. The winner of that contest will get team t-shirts.

"Every single year, we all as a staff marvel at the creativity that northerners have in creating their team names," she said. "This year, with Covid-19 there's been some especially hilarious names."

Inuvik was host to a number of prize-winners. Luisa Ospina, of team MFHWits, was named the winner of the Best Video competition for a quick video she took on the ski trails around town.

"It was a beautiful sunset, the pictures weren't doing it justice," said Ospina. "It feels amazing (to have won the award), I loved taking a part of this year's event."

People walked, ran, or otherwise clocked their exercise for many different reasons. For many, it was a fun way to get active. Other had far deeper purposes. One group, Team YK Walking with Our Sisters, takes the trek annually to honour the memory of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Krekoski said now the plan was to analyze what worked and what needs improvement and prepare for next year's Walk to Tuk.

In the interim, eager walkers are invited to join this summer, which will run from Aug. 1 to Sept. 30. It will run the same way as Walk to Tuk, encouraging participants to clock their time on the land to move a pin around the Edéhzhíe protection area in the Dehcho region.