March 1, 2007

Mack Varner reached into a worn manilla folder filled with old newspaper clippings, flipping through a make-shift ode to the Run Thru History. He reached for one clip in particular. Five men – Varner, Bobby Abraham, Hays Latham, Robert Sadler and then Vicksburg National Military Park superintendant Bill Nichols – stood under the great arch talking about running.

The year was 1988, the first year Varner acted as race director and the start of a 19-year journey for the four avid runners to produce the annual race through the park, one of the largest in Mississippi.

Although the tops of their heads have begun to change from dark to silver and for some white, the four &#8220scores” – those that have been the main force behind the RTH for 20 years – continue their march.

But for how much longer?

Varner says he’s tired. Others are a bit worn down, too. They joke regularly that the only way to get out of the Run Thru History business is to die. They’ve been organizing this thing for so long, could anyone do better?

Of course the four &#8220scores” are only the start of a race steeped in a tradition of community involvment and volunteerism. From setting up water stops, stuffing packets, organizing registrations and praying for good weather, volunteers make the RTH one of the most popular races in the state. Mix in a beautiful yet challenging course through the hills of the military park, and it is no wonder runners and walkers flock to the River City.

Following the race, all the work that went into setting it up is reversed and everything comes down. Long after The Chill have stopped rocking the parkling lot at Battlefield Inn, the work is continuing.

In this newspaper’s office.

Mendenhall resident Jack Ward meticulously arranges results, enters them into a computer and allows every finisher’s name to appear in print.

His payment? One year we bought him a Coke. All other forms of payment are shaken off. More of the spirit that makes this race so special. If you are out on Saturday morning – the weather is forecast to be divine – and run across one of the four &#8220scores”, Jack Ward, the water-givers, hot-dog makers or massage therapists, give ‘em all a nod and a smile, a thank you and a pat on the back.

Tell ‘em 20 years is just the beginning. We have at least 20 more to look forward to.

Thanks to those who started the race, the four &#8220scores” and the hundreds of others that cannot be listed, this race will continue for years to come.

Happy walking and running.