One by one, the members of the Perez family had their names called. Each one dutifully and proudly walked up to the makeshift stage and returned with a ceramic chili bowl, the prize for finishing first in one of the age groups at the Chill in the Hills run.

By the time the awards ceremony was over, the eight family members had collected enough bowls to have their own cook-off.

“I said this year we’ll save them all and use them as serving dishes,” mother Shauna Perez said with a laugh. “For now they go in the cabinet.

Not to mention a storage unit for all of the other trophies, ribbons, medals and assorted running paraphernalia that’s accumulated at their home over the years. The Perezes, who lived in Vicksburg from 2008 to 2010 but now call Monroe, Louisiana home, will try to add to their collection at the Run Thru History 10K on March 7.

It’s a safe bet that the family that was born to run will soon have a battery of toy cannons to play with while they eat from the chili bowls they won in January.

Marissa Perez, 16, won the women’s title at the Over the River Run in October and was second in January’s Chill in the Hills 10K. Her 14-year-old brother Josiah was 10th and third overall, respectively, in those races. Their little brother Isaac, 10, won the 1-mile fun run at OTRR and was second at the Chill in the Hills. Siblings Olivia, 12, Seriah 8, and Elijah, 6, won age group trophies, and older brother Camden runs cross country at Lee University in Tennessee.

Their mother, Shauna, was the women’s masters champion at the Chill in the Hills and was an All-American distance runner in college at Harding University.

Shauna Perez said the family started running together when they lived in Vicksburg in 2008. Shauna and her husband Robert home school their children, so it soon became both an affordable family activity and a way to get the whole clan out the door for some exercise.

“This is our athletic thing that we could do together. We figured it out by the fourth kid,” Shauna laughed.

The family’s running passion dates back more than two decades, however. Shauna and Robert met in college and, while Robert didn’t run competitively, he did do it to win Shauna’s heart. They’d go running as a date and to stay healthy.

“By the end of our college and courtship, he was running 10-milers,” Shauna said.

Once the couple started a family they eventually got all of their children to take up the sport. Some did it because they enjoyed it. Others were bribed, Robert said.

“They like to play video games, so for every minute of running they get to play a minute of a game,” he said. “What started it was my oldest wanted a PlayStation 2 — that tells you how long ago it was — and I told him if he started running we’d get him one.”

Running so often, naturally, led to each of the children getting better and better at it. Marissa’s winning time in the 5-mile Over the River Run averaged out to about a 7-minute mile. That led to the family members winning trophies and races, which provided even more incentive to run.

“I was young and did not like it. Then it became I like to run by myself. I would just run and wanted to go out running. I realized I could be good at it and win races,” Marissa Perez said. “I’m glad my parents got me into running. I’m glad I got good at it with their help. Running races is the only time traffic gets stopped just for me.”

The one downside to competing, Shauna said, is the cost. Entry fees typically range between $20 and $30 per person, and with so many people in the family the cost quickly adds up. Because of that, the family usually only travels to a handful of Mississippi Track Club events each year. The Track Club’s 1-mile races allow the younger ones to run and provide a good value, she said.

This year’s Run Thru History will mark the first time the whole family has participated in that race.

“The only ones that have run the Run Thru History are the two oldest ones,” Shauna said. “I tend to pick races that have a family rate, and the Run Thru History doesn’t. We need one.”