Vicksburg’s annual RiverFest includes daytime entertainment, street vendors and live music, but this year the festival added something new to its lineup, the Rhythm Run.

The inaugural DiamondJacks Rhythm Run at RiverFest held Saturday at 8 a.m. featured 193 runners and race-walkers and numerous other participants in its one-mile fun run.

Laura Beth Strickland from the Vicksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau headed up the race.

“Our goal was to have 100 for our first year, and we almost doubled that,” she said. “We’re really excited about the turnout and that the weather held up. It looks like everyone is having a good time.”

Strickland said the credit for planning the run goes to Angie Wilkerson, a board member for the RiverFest Committee.

“Our goal is to have an added event to the RiverFest festival, so we’re hoping people will stay out and enjoy all of the festivities downtown,” Strickland said. “We just wanted to add a healthy event to our festival to get things going on Saturday.”

Strickland said there would definitely be a second DiamondJacks Rhythm Run next year.

First-place overall winner Kristi Hall finished with a time of 19 minutes and 43 seconds.

“This is the first one, and I think they did a great job,” she said. “The weather held out, and there was a wonderful turnout.”

Hall said the course was more challenging than she expected.

“It was much hillier than I thought it would be,” she said. “I always think it’s flat in town, but no part of town is flat.”

Hall said she was excited her hometown has another new race.

“I love a Vicksburg race,” she said. “I love to support Vicksburg.”

The youngest competitor and winner of the 10 and under female division Hazel Mason, 5, said she ran a lot to get ready for the race.

Mason, the daughter of Ashley and Eric Mason, finished with a time of 33 minutes and 29 seconds.

“I got new running shoes,” she said of her preparation for the race.

Mason has done one other 5k race and several one-mile fun runs.

The race was fun, Mason said and her favorite thing to see was the “choo-choo train.”

At the event were feature-sponsor DiamondJacks Casino, who had a get healthy initiative; Merit Health River Region, who did blood pressure checks; Chick-fil-A, who gave out cookies; and Shape Up Sisters, who brought fruit and helped to get everyone warmed up.

To view all race results visit www.time2run.net.