Saturday’s Rhythm Run 5K was one of many endurance races Vicksburg hosts every year.

But the frequency of those races highlight how the city’s landscape provides an accessible way to fitness.

Downtown Vicksburg is a combination of steep inclines and long, flat roads that can provide a leisurely stroll or run. This combination naturally makes a runner or jogger push themselves in their workout and feel accomplished upon completion. The longer roads such as Washington and Clay Streets are perfect for distance running or taking a long walk.

There are games that continue to be fun regardless of age.

Baseball fields and tennis courts are scattered throughout Vicksburg’s city limits. They are put to extensive use throughout the year.

Halls Ferry Park is comprised of numerous baseball diamonds and tennis courts that are available during the day. Just down the road, the city’s softball fields see their share of kickball and church league softball games in the warm Mississippi summer.

Adjacent to the park is City Pool. Swimming exercises the entire body with resistance, yet is still a timeless option of mixing fun and exercising.

What could be considered as the “granddaddy of them all” in regards to this topic is the Vicksburg National Military Park. It’s filled with runners, joggers and bikers taking in history while looking to stay in shape. Its curvy roads, inclines and open spaces offer a variety of opportunities for exercise.

Besides the city’s landscape being an accessible way to fitness, there are many people and events in the city of Vicksburg dedicated to getting its residents in shape to live long lives.

Linda Fondren, founder of Shape Up Mississippi and owner of Shape Up Sisters, is enthused about this very topic. She came together with physicians at Merit Health to promote people having a simple dialogue with a doctor while walking through the Vicksburg National Military Park. The “Walk With a Doc” events held every month in the park are done at the walker’s desired pace.

Dentists, physical therapists and pediatricians also play a key role in keeping residents of Vicksburg safe.

Mississippi is one of the most obese states in the country, but our city seems designed to fight that notion.

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Alexander Swatson is a sports writer. He can be reached at alex.swatson@vicksburgpost.com