October is the time for ghosts, goblins, witches, and other things that go run in the night.

Vicksburg Catholic School will host its 10th annual Spooky Sprint 5K on Saturday, Oct. 5. The fun and festive event includes not only the titular run and race walk, but a Halloween carnival and haunted house. Runners and walkers are encouraged to compete in Halloween costumes, which adds another layer of fun.

The Spooky Sprint is a fundraiser for Vicksburg Catholic School.

“Half of the participants, by the nature of it, are our entire elementary school and they have a lot of fun with it. We have a lot of our kids show up in costumes — and we have a lot of grown-ups show up in costumes, too. It’s definitely not as intense as, say, the Run Thru History,” said Kristi Smith, VCS’ Director of Development and Alumni Affairs as well as the race director.

The 5K run and race walk, as well as the 1-mile fun run that follows, will follow a course around the VCS campus on Grove Street. The finish line is at the 50-yard line of Farrell Stadium/Balzli Field, and the Halloween carnival will also be set up inside the stadium.

The haunted house will be in the St. Aloysius High School gym. There is a $5 charge for it. Admission to the carnival is $10. Admission to the carnival is included with the race entry fee, but the haunted house is not.

“For those that remember Play-a-Day when we did that, back in its heyday, it was just a really great time for everyone and it has a little bit of that Play-a-Day vibe where the whole school comes out,” Smith said, referring to the school’s long-running Play-a-Day in May Away field day event. “And of course everyone in the community is invited to attend. It’s just a good time.”

The entry fee for the race is $35 for the 5K and $20 for the 1-mile fun run. Early online registration is available through the VCS web site here, and raceday registration will begin at 5 p.m. on Oct. 5.

The race starts at 6 p.m. at St. Aloysius’ John Murray Pinkston Jr. Athletic Complex. The haunted house will open at the conclusion of the race, at approximately 7:30 p.m.

Smith said nearly 400 people had registered as of Sept. 28, and she expected another wave as this week goes along. She said the combination of a fun evening race and the accompanying events have helped make the Spooky Sprint a new fall tradition in Vicksburg.

“It is definitely a tradition by now. This will be the second year we’ve done it at the football field. We’ve brought it back close to home. We’re looking forward to a great time,” Smith said. “We’ve always wanted to do the night race because it’s Spooky Sprint, and we tried it last year and it was a huge success. So this year we’re doing it again.”