Contraband 5 Miler by Lake Area Runners

Lake Area Runners presents the 50th Contraband 5 Miler!!!

Come celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Lake Area Runners Contraband 5 Miler with us! The Contraband 5 Miler is pirate themed event. 

Race Date and Time: Saturday, May 2, 2026 at 7:00am
 
Location: 
Lake Charles City Court parking lot
118 West Mill Street
Lake Charles, LA 70601

Route Description:

The course is flat and fast. Route begins and ends at 118 West Mill Street near Lake Charles City Court. Route runs along the scenic Lakeshore Drive with beautiful views of the lake and its lake houses and large estates.

Registration Fees:

$45 = January 20 , 2026 - April 15, 2026

$50 = April 16, 2026 - May 1, 2026

$55 = May 2, 2026 (online registration only)

*Age based pricing of registration fees:

Registrants 5 - 9 years old = $5 registration fee (shirt not included). Shirts may be purchased $20.
Registrants 65 years and older = free registration (shirt not included). Shirts may be purchased $20.
If you would like a shirt, purchase a shirt as an "Add-on" before checkout.

Packet Pickup:

Friday, May 1, 2026

• TBD

Saturday, May 2, 2026

• Where: parking lot of Lake Charles City Court,118 West Mill Street, Lake Charles, LA 70601

• When: 6:00AM-6:30AM

• Look for the blue Lake Area Runners tent in the parking lot.

*Important note = Registered participants need photo identification. Proxy pickup is allowed for immediate family members, husband/wife/sibling, with identification.
 

Race Day Schedule:

6:00AM- Packet pickup and race day registration opens

6:30AM- Packet pickup and race day registration closes

6:45AM- Pre race meeting

7:00AM- Race begins

7:45AM- Post race food, beverages, music begins

9:00AM- Awards

Awards:

Overall: Top 3 males and top 3 females will be awarded a cash prize and a trophy:

1st Place: $100

2nd Place: $50

3rd Place: $25

Age group awards:1st, 2nd, and 3rd place will be awarded in 10 year age groups for males and females as follows:

0-14, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+

T-Shirts:
Short sleeved performance shirts are provided to registered participants (except your ages 5-9 years & 65+ years or older participant). Shirts are guaranteed to those participants who registered prior to Tuesday, April 15.

Shirts may be purchased without registration for $20. Click "Store" to purchase an additional shirt.

LAR's registration refund and cancellation policy:
When you register for this event, you are making a non-refundable/ non-transferable decision. 
There are absolutely NO refunds, deferrals, or bib exchanges.
Lake Area Runners does not issue refunds if the event is cancelled due to circumstances out of our control. This policy stays in effect in natural disaster, pandemic, whether you experience illness/injury/unexpected travel/emergency or other. 
We work incredibly hard to put on our races and we personally understand the training and hard work runners undergo, so the last thing we want to do is cancel a race.

Cancellation:
If we foresee dangerous conditions that warrant cancellations, we will update you via email and/or post onto @LakeAreaRunners and @LakeAreaRunnersForum sites on Facebook.

Parking:
No parking on West Mill Street in front of court house and Lakeshore Drive. Please be respectful to surrounding businesses and do not block entrances or exits.

Volunteers:

• Race packet pickup on Saturday, May 2, 2026, 5:30am-7:00am

• Race site setup & cleanup on Saturday, May 2, 2026, 5:30am-7:00am & 8:30am-11:00am

• Hydration Stations and cheer spots on Saturday, May 2, 2026, 6:30am-10:00am

• Post race food and beverage servers on Saturday, May 2, 2026, 8:00am-11:00am

• Volunteers should register on run signup.com by Thursday, April 30, 2026. If you have a group interested in volunteering, please email ajattack@gmail.com  attn: 5 miler volunteer

Race series: TRIPLE THREAT!

Heads up! This is the second in the TRIPLE CROWN SERIES! Register and finish each of the races to earn a special prize. The series included these Lake Area Runners races:

• Leprechaun 3 MILER March 14, 2026 *Triple Crown Race Series*

• 4 miler on the 4th is Saturday, July 4, 2026 *Triple Crown Race Series*

Lake Area Runners Events:
Mardi Gras Madness 5K is Sunday, February 15, 2026
LAR Leprechaun 3 miler is Saturday, March 14, 2026 
Contraband 5 miler is Saturday, May 2, 2026
4 miler on the 4th is Saturday, July 4, 2026
Swamp Stomp Half Marathon & 1 mile kids run is Saturday, December 12, 2026