A few years ago, the Over the River Run was just another Saturday race on the Mississippi Track Club’s calendar.

Race director Annette Kirklin saw more potential than that, and has been working hard to bring it out. When the whistle blows for the 23rd time Saturday morning at the 81-year-old U.S. 80 bridge over the Mississippi River, it will mark the latest step in changing it from a picturesque morning run into a true community event.

By this morning, 602 runners and walkers had registered, and Kirklin said more than 200 volunteers have been recruited to assist them. The turnout is still a bit below Vicksburg’s biggest road race, the Run Thru History, which typically draws about 800 people, but appears to be gaining in stature.