Goblins and ghouls will be working on their fitness Saturday as they race around downtown Vicksburg.

Vicksburg Catholic School is hosting their second annual Spooky Sprint 5K run, walk and 1-mile fun run Saturday starting at 8 a.m. on the corner of South and Monroe streets.

“This will be a great community event for Vicksburg. It will be a fun day for families and friends to enjoy our beautiful downtown and celebrate over 156 years of Catholic education in Vicksburg,” said Ann Roberson, director of development and alumni affairs at VCS.

Roberson, who is coordinating the event, said 442 people had registered as of last week to participate in the race.

“The event is open to everyone and has been promoted statewide through the Mississippi Track Club and social media,” Roberson said. “Last year we had over 600 people register for the race from eight different states, and we hope to exceed that number this year.”

The race gets its name from its proximity to Halloween, last year actually falling on the holiday, and racers are encouraged to don their costumes for the event.

“Last year we had a lot of very funny, creative costumes running down the street,” Roberson said. “We hope that more race participants will dress up and get into the spirit this year.”

A storm blew into town last year during the Spooky Sprint’s inaugural event, but a committed 300 actually completed the races in the rain.

“We are definitely hoping for better weather this year,” Roberson said.

Once the races are completed, an awards ceremony and a carnival will be held in the parking lot of the Bancorp South building.

Music, fun and games are promised along with an award ceremony for top finishers in each age category.

The 5k run and walk are $35 to register, and the one-mile race is $20.

Proceeds go toward the school’s technology fund, which supplies students in high school with a MacBook Air, students in elementary school with an iPad Mini and classrooms with an Apple TV.

In addition to supplying devices, funding will also go toward supporting the digital learning environment through other costs that keep the program going.

At least the first 550 registrants will receive a T-shirt — meaning only 108 are left for certain.

A second option is available to those who cannot be present on race day but want to support the school, called “Virtual 5K.”

The cost for participants in the virtual 5K who run or walk on their own is $25, and they will receive a T-shirt in the mail.

“We added a ‘Virtual 5K’ option to registration last year, and brought it back this year, as it allowed many alumni and supporters that could not be here for race day to participate,” Roberson said.

To register, visit spookysprint5k.webconnex.com/registration16 or the offices of St. Aloysius or St. Francis Xavier.