You couldn’t ask for better conditions for Saturday’s Run Thru History in the Vicksburg National Military Park. The weather was gorgeous, the crowd was packed with runners, and the antebellum atmosphere and post-race celebration made for a great day for the whole family.

Following up his victory at The Chill in the Hills, 26-year old Peter Kazery added another first-place finish in the Run Thru History 10K to his resume with a time of 33 minutes, 55 seconds. Josue Capir came in second at 38:40.

It was Kazery’s second Run Thru History championship in three years. He also won in 2016.

“This course is so tough. You hear it from everybody, but every year it seems like it’ll get you somewhere you don’t expect it. I was just kind of grinding out there. It definitely wasn’t easy, it’s never easy out here, especially if you don’t live here.”

Vicksburg resident Laura Child won the women’s 10K with a time of 40:58. Keri Frazier finished second with a time of 42:40, ending her streak of five consecutive RTH women’s titles.
Frazier, a Vicksburg native who now lives in Birmingham, Ala., had been the women’s champion 11 times in the previous 16 years.

“I run around here regularly and I know the course is tough, so just to get it done is good,” Child said. “It’s a good feeling, a lot of strong runners run here.”

Child, who is originally from England, said this was her first time participating in the race.

“I run with a lot of people here, it’s a fabulous community, and a very warm one,” Child said. “It’s a great event, and I was really happy to make it today.”

For the 5K walk, Angel Curry took home the overall championship with a time of 33:09, with Jennifer Mallard coming in second in the women’s division at 35:08. Curry’s biggest competition was the men’s winner, Steve Pranger.

Pranger posted a time of 34:10.

“He usually is ahead of me, but today I was able to get ahead of him,” said Curry, who also won the Run Thru History in 2013. “I’ve done the Run Thru History many years, but I was able to win it today, so it was good.”

Meanwhile, Pranger won the men’s title for the first time in more than 15 attempts. Gary Guido came in second among the men with a time of 35:26.

“I was pleased with my time today,” Pranger said. “My main thing today was I was trying to stay with Angel. We normally have about the same pace, but today she was looking faster than I was.”

Vicksburg offers a more challenging course than most races, as the hills along the track make the race even more intense.

Curry, who lives in Start, La., said the weather helped her out over the difficult course.

“I’m from the flatland, so I’m not used to the hills,” Curry said. “It’s pretty tough. This is probably the toughest course that I’ve ever done, but it worked out today.”

Pranger said he didn’t mind the hills as he got plenty of practice on them living in Vicksburg.

“I train on the hills. A lot of other people have problems with the hills, but I actually kind of like the hills,” he said. “With my long legs, it helps me when I’m going up the hills.”

This year also featured the Cannonball Run 1-miler for kids. The race was neck-and- neck, as 8-year-old David Lee won with a time of 6 minutes, 56.80 seconds, narrowly beating 11-year-old Sam Hall, who finished with a time of 6:57.33. Ten-year-old Alex Lee was the girls’ winner, with a time of 7:14.33.