REPULSE BAY - A Grade 12 student shocked the mushing world when she captured the 2007 Nunavut Quest traditional dog race this past week.

Denise Malliki, 19, of Repulse Bay crossed the finish line with a time of 32 hours, 24 minutes and four seconds before a large, adoring crowd in Repulse.

Malliki was the only female among the 15 racers who started the event. The gruelling 400-kilometre run from Iglulik to Repulse Bay was the teenager's first real dog-team race.

She entered the race through her love of spending time with her father, Paul, being with the dogs out on the land and wanting to learn more about Inuit culture.

Malliki said the last thing she thought when she entered the race was that she'd be the one to claim the $10,000 grand prize. She said she expected to finish between the middle to the end of the pack.

"I always wanted to join with my father when he was going out on a race, but I never really had the chance," said Malliki.

"Since I was about 14, I've wanted to learn more about handling my dogs so I could travel long distances with them like my ancestors used to.

"I was always curious about how tough it must have been to live on the land, and wanted to experience a bit of that by going on a long race like this."

Malliki said it was exciting to win her first race.

She said she couldn't believe all the attention she got after winning the event.

"Before the Nunavut Quest, we had a little five-dog race just for fun and my dogs went out right away.

"That was the first time I started thinking maybe I could do better than the middle of the pack, but I still had no thoughts of finishing first.

"I was more interested in being out on the land with the big guys, and I had a lot of questions I never got the chance to ask them.

"At Hall Beach was the first time I thought maybe I had a chance to win this."

Malliki started from Iglulik with 12 dogs, but quickly took off her youngest dog when her dad said the race may be too tough for it. She took two more dogs after arriving in Hall Beach and finished the run to Repulse with a team of nine.

"My lead dog, Qiluqsuk, is very understanding and does a good job, but it can be hard to keep her from running toward caribou.

"She was my dad's lead dog for about four years."

Malliki said she has no idea what she's going to do with her prize money.

She said whether she races again this year depends on her father's plans and how her dogs are doing.

"If the dogs are good and I had another chance, then I would go again.

"I don't know what we'd do if my dad and I both wanted to go in the same race.

"Maybe we'd do rock, paper and scissors to decide who goes.

"To me, the most important thing about learning to handle dogs from my father is that it lets me go out on the land, have a little peace and quiet and enjoy the ride."