Nathan Davis went for a leisurely Saturday morning run with his brother Kyle and friend Josh Slocum.

He ended up with a good workout and a shiny medal.

Nathan Davis, a 23-year-old Vicksburg resident, finished a couple of steps ahead of Slocum to win the second Chill in the Hills 10K run through downtown Vicksburg on Saturday. The former cross country and track teammates at Louisiana Tech ran close together for most of the race, with Davis winning in 33 minutes and 34 seconds, and Slocum finishing in 33:35.

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Kyle Davis was third, 12 seconds back at 33:47.

“They were sitting behind me for most of the race and came up at the end. We ran the last few hundred meters together,” Nathan Davis said. “I wanted to be with the lead pack and if it was there, I was going to try to win it.”

Davis was using the Chill in the Hills as a training run for an upcoming triathlon. Slocum said it was more of a relaxed run among friends than a serious competition.

“We’re just having fun. It is a tough course though,” Slocum said.

Vicksburg resident Kristi Hall shook off a cold to win the women’s 10K for the second consecutive year. She finished in 42:55, good for 13th place overall and 20 seconds ahead of Brandon’s Amy Macon in the women’s division.

Macon was 16th overall. Joy Johnson of Memphis was third among women and 17th overall with a time of 43:22.

“I was up all night with a fever, and coughing,” Hall said. “I don’t know what happened today. I just kept going and they didn’t pass me.”

Hall credited part of her victory to last week’s Mississippi Blues Marathon in Jackson. A number of runners in the Chill in the Hills run also ran the marathon, leading to slower times as their sore bodies recovered. Hall skipped the marathon, and said her fresh legs were a factor.

“A lot of people ran the marathon last week and I didn’t. That was probably what I had that others didn’t,” Hall said.

The course proved treacherous for some, and devious for others.

Last year’s 10K winner, 17-year-old William Kazery of Clinton, dropped out of contention when he suffered a nosebleed midway through the race. He finished fourth with a time of 34:42, his hands and face covered in blood as he crossed the line.

In the 5K racewalk, a misplaced sign sent walkers in the wrong direction.

The sign, placed near South Street a block from the finish at the Vicksburg Convention Center, was supposed to direct runners and walkers into separate lanes for the final stretch down Mulberry Street. Instead, it was moved too close to the intersection of Mulberry and South Streets. Confused walkers turned right onto South Street and took a detour onto Levee Street, ending with a two-block uphill climb up Depot Street rather than a downhill stretch.

“The first group of us went the wrong way, so we walked a little further than we were supposed to,” said Angel Wofford, who won the women’s title and finished second overall.

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Contact Ernest Bowker at ebowker@vicksburgpost.com