Saturday morning, Claim Your Journey made a stop on it’s tour in Lake Charles, Louisiana for the Contraband Days 5 Miler!

I helped at the Claim Your Journey Booth and had a great time! I loved being able to meet people that I’ve tweeted with over time…finally got to put a face with their name (or should I say Twitter handle?)!  Fun times!

Heather and I with the Run Louisiana truck!

FYI, in the event of an emergency, the outside of a cold red bull can will suffice for sticking on a temporary tattoo!

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I was excited to meet Kayla! (Middle) She’s a fellow DetermiNation athlete and I missed seeing her in New Orleans!

The (four) amigos. :0)

The Lake Area’s GoRun group gathered for a picture before the race!

The weather held off surprisingly well for the race….the rain didn’t pick up until the race was over! Weatherwise, I’d say that it was a great day for a race! The wind had a slight breeze to it, the air was not hot, and it rained just enough to keep things cool.

Since this race was held during Contraband Days, Jean Lafitte started off the race with a bang…literally!

The runners took off at lightning speed!

Coach Phyllis and Melissa…love this pair! Can’t forget about the juggler! He’s juggled this entire course every year for as long as I can remember!

The first place male ran the race in 26:34!

The first place female crossed the finish line at 29:33

This is my favorite picture from the race! I love the drive and determination on their faces!!

Just because the limo and cop cars passed during the race (don’t roll your eyes)….it was American Idol mania here in Lake Charles this weekend! One of the top 3 contestants is from this area (Josh Ledet) and was in town filming his Homecoming for Wednesday night’s episode! It was exciting and one of the largest events I’ve ever seen in the area! I may have allowed the excitement to overtake me as the limos passed.

Last but not least, I really enojoyed being a part of the Contraband Days 5 Miler! Even though I didn’t run the race, I was able to help out and I had a blast! I loved talking to people and meeting new faces! I hope that Claim Your Journey is able to stop by in the area again sometime in the future! We loved having them here! :0)