Run Thru History rookies always have questions leading to their first foray into one of the toughest road racing courses in Mississippi.

Do I start fast? Do I reserve my energy? Should I keep up with the pack?.

Amy Haygood has been absorbing advice from many race veterans, and on the eve of her first RTH she said she just wants to finish.

&#8220I know this park and these hills,” Haygood said. &#8220They are something else. Having run in the park before, I know where the hills are and what to expect around every curve.”

Haygood may have a slight advantage over first-timers who aren’t familiar with the park’s signature hills.

During practice runs through the course, race veterans will tell her, &#8220this is the spot where you start to see people on the side of the road.”

The Run Thru History, a 6.2 mile jaunt through the Vicksburg National Military Park contains three major obstacles. The Louisiana hill is the first, followed by two grueling hills on the South Loop. The final hill, nicknamed Railroad Hill because it parallels the train tracks, is the most brutal because it is the last one.

Many runners and walkers find their demise on railroad hill.

Runners and walkers can pick up their packets tonight from 5-8 p.m. at the Battlefield Inn on Frontage Road. Participants can still register on Saturday morning at the Inn before the 8:30 start to the run.

Haygood, 36, has long since registered and her youthful outlook and zeal for racing have her primed for her first run. She has participated in the 5-kilometer walk in the past.

She began running when her two children, Blake and Anna, joined the St. Aloysius cross country team. During training sessions in the park, Haygood and a couple other team mothers participated and the addiction began.

&#8220When they started running, Donna Ingram and I decided to start running too,” Haygood said. &#8220They would run one side (of the park) and we would run on our own. Coach (Donald) Roesch started getting us doing speed work and he had that stopwatch on us. That kept us motivated.”

She runs about six days a week, some more grueling than others. She usually trains with more experienced Run Thru History runners, so keeping up is sometimes a chore.

&#8220I usually end up looking at their backs,” she said with a chuckle.

She said winning the race, at least this year, is a near impossibility. She wants to finish with a respectable time and make another advancement toward her ultimate goal – a full marathon.

The Chicago Marathon in October is the one she is setting her sights on.

&#8220Tupelo’s (marathon) is in September and I might be ready for it, but people have told me it’s really hot,” Haygood said. &#8220If I think I can do it, who knows, we’ll see.”