The Vicksburg Military Park has its own run. So does another city landmark, the Old Mississippi River bridge. Casey Custer and Dustin Blount figured it was time for the city itself to take center stage.

Chill in the Hills

10K run, 5K race walk and 1-mile fun run

Jan. 17,  8:30 a.m.

Registration fee: $25

The race starts and ends at the Horizon Casino parking lot, and winds through downtown Vicksburg.

Runners and walkers may register all week at the Purks YMCA on East Clay St., or from 7-8 a.m. on Saturday at the Horizon Casino parking lot on Levee St.

Pre-race packet pickup will be Friday from 5-8 p.m. at the Purks YMCA.

Postrace refreshments will be available, and prizes awarded.

Custer, the assistant executive director of the Vicksburg YMCA, and YMCA program director Blount, are the founding fathers of the “Chill in the Hills” 10K run and 5K race walk. The event will be run through downtown Vicksburg for the first time on Saturday morning.

The registration fee is $25 for the run or walk, and $15 for the 1-mile fun run that follows. Racers may register all week at the Purks YMCA on east Clay Street, or Saturday morning from 7 to 8 at the start-finish line in the Horizon Casino parking lot on Levee Street. All proceeds benefit the Vicksburg YMCA’s summer camp and youth sports programs.

About 150 runners and walkers have signed up so far, but Custer said he’s hoping to have between 250 and 300 show up on Saturday. That’s about half the average of the Over the River Run across the Old River Bridge in October, and a quarter of the masses that flock to the Military Park for the Run Thru History in March.

Both of Vicksburg’s other runs have been around for more than 20 years and are among the largest in the state.

Still, Custer said there’s plenty of room for the new race to grow. The Chill in the Hills will become a Mississippi Track Club Grand Prix event next year, which should draw more runners. Custer also felt that a strong first year will build a good word of mouth buzz in the future.

“We feel like we’re in a good position to be considered among the top three runs in the state. We’d like to be up there with the the Run Thru History and the Over the River Run. That’s a big goal, but pretty realistic,” Custer said. “We hope that this race will have some uniqueness to it as well, because downtown Vicksburg is a beautiful place.”

Custer was also hopeful that the event would be embraced by the city the way the other runs have. He encouraged residents along the route to cheer runners on if they’re not participating in the race.

The opening stages of the race might not be that for the participants. From the starting line on Levee Street, the runners and walkers will venture past the murals on the Yazoo Diversion Canal floodwall. Then they’ll hit what seems like a mountain — a huge 250 foot climb in the span of about two blocks on First East St. The course will loop around the block on Adams Street, and head down Cherry Street for a mile before making a right onto Chambers Street and winding through the Glenwood neighborhood. From there, the route turns back onto Cherry, eventually making its way down Drummond, Belmont and Washington Streets before descending the original hill onto Levee. From there, it’s a short sprint past the murals again and back to the finish line at the Horizon lot.

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Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com