As it approaches the end of its first decade, the Chill in the Hills 10K is continuing to evolve.

The annual event in downtown Vicksburg will celebrate its ninth birthday with a new course, an upgraded status on the Mississippi Track Club calendar, and some new post-race entertainment.

The 10K run, 5K race walk and 1-mile fun run is scheduled for Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Race headquarters and race day registration will be available at Guaranty Bank on the corner of Cherry and Belmont streets, and the start-finish line is on Belmont Street between Cherry and Drummond streets.

The entry fee for the race is $30 for the 10K and 5K and $20 for the fun run.

The first half of the 10K run, which is the same course as the 5K walk, will stay the same as it has been in previous years, but the second half of the run will head in a new direction. Instead of going through downtown, the race will head south on Drummond to Vicksburg High School. The run will go around the football stadium and turn back toward the start-finish line on Belmont.

“It adds a lot of neighborhood to our route and it also straightens the route to be a little bit easier to manage. But the most important piece is that we wanted to take the big, massive hill that we had on the route out of the race,” said Walter Frazier, Grace Christian Counseling executive director and the Chill in the Hills race director.

The hill on First East Street was a challenge for all but the most elite of racers, Frazier said, and it caused concern for many, which is why it was eliminated this year.

Changing the course isn’t the only new aspect to the race. This will be the event’s first year as a member of the Mississippi Track Club Grand Prix, a collection of 12 designated races across the state where runners compete with each other for the best combined race time.

The Chill in the Hills has averaged between 200 and 300 participants each year, but Frazier is hoping gaining Grand Prix status increases that number. As of Monday, about 100 people had registered to participate.

“I’m excited about being a part of the Grand Prix. Obviously every year we’d like to increase participation,” Frazier said.

The final change is the entertainment. The band Slap Happy will begin playing shortly after the race starts and will continue throughout the morning.

“We have some fun entertainment,” Frazier said.

The weather is forecast to cooperate with temperatures around 60 degrees at race time and only a 20 percent chance of rain, making it more like heat in the hills this year at the annual January race.

“It looks like it’s going to be quite mild,” Frazier said. “Nothing like last weekend, even though last weekend is what Chill in the Hills might sound like it ought to be.”

The event is a fundraiser for Grace Christian Counseling Center, a non-profit organization in Vicksburg that provides professional counseling services.

“We like making our resources available to everybody regardless of their ability to pay fees, and this is an important help in accomplishing that,” Frazier said. “It doesn’t matter what somebody’s financial circumstances are, we’re going to provide services to them. Raising funds makes it possible for us to do that.”

To register for the race, visit Grace Christian Counseling, 1414 Cherry St., or Guaranty Bank, 1900 Cherry St. during business hours. T-shirt pickup and late registration is from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday and 7 to 8 a.m. Saturday at Guaranty Bank.

CHILL IN THE HILLS
The ninth annual Chill in the Hills 10K run and 5K race walk is scheduled for Saturday in downtown Vicksburg.
The entry fee for the 10K run and 5K walk is $30, and it’s $20 for the 1-mile children’s fun run. Registration will be open at Guaranty Bank, at the corner of Cherry and Belmont streets, Friday from 5 to 7 p.m., and Saturday before the race from 7 to 8 a.m.