The Pirate 5k Run/Walk

Join Us for the 4th Annual Pirate 5k Run/Walk

(dress in pirate costume theme if you wish)

Event Details

• Date: Saturday, August 15, 2026
• Time: 07:30 AM - 5k Kicks off
• Registration: On race day between 6:30-7:00 AM

Location

• Venue: St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
• Address: 315 North Cedar Street
• City: Lincolnton, NC 28092

Packet Pickup

• Friday: Aug 14th from 4-6 PM
• Saturday: Aug 15th from 6:30-7 AM (At the Parish House at St Luke’s)

Awards

• Categories: Overall Male and Female
• Age Group Medals: 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in each age group
• Finisher Medal: For all participants
• Age Groups: 14 and under, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70-79, 80+

Deadline

For guaranteed shirt: Aug. 3rd

Race Route

The Fourth annual Pirate 5K Run/Walk will begin on North Cedar Street in Lincolnton at Historic St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. The church graveyard is the final resting place of Lorenzo Ferrier who may or may not be Jean Lafitte.

From St. Luke’s, the runners will work their way to the Lincolnton Rail Trail at First Federal Park at East Pine Street crossing.

Visit St. Luke’s Episcopal

For more information pertaining to St. Luke’s, please visit the church website: https://www.stlukeslincolnton.com

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Lincolnton, is a North Carolina non-profit 501 (c)(3) and donations may be tax deductible.

About the Rail Trail

The Marcia H. Cloninger Rail-Trail, known locally as the Lincolnton Rail-Trail, is a 1.5-mile paved trail that is especially popular with walkers, joggers, bikers, and parents pushing baby strollers. Benches line the route, inviting you to pause and take in this enchanting town and trail. The trail is maintained by the City of Lincolnton.

The trail offers a chance to search the heart of this small Southern town, highlighted by a stately courthouse, model Main Street, thriving arts scene, and nearby lakes and mountains. Once an eyesore covered in kudzu and debris, the former Norfolk Southern Railroad corridor is now the pride and joy of “Lovable Lincolnton.”

For more information on the Lincolnton Rail Trail visit: https://www.carolinathreadtrailmap.org/trails/trail/marcia-h-cloninger-rail-trail

About the Pirate

In 2021, a book entitled Jean Lafitte Revealed, Unraveling One of America’s Longest-Running Mysteries by Ashley Oliphant and Beth Yarbrough presents the theory that Jean Laffite did in fact successfully change his name and live out the rest of his natural life, dying in 1875 at the age of 96, under the pseudonym, “Lorenzo Ferrer” in Lincoln County, North Carolina. Ferrer is buried in a marked grave at Saint Luke's Episcopal Church in Lincolnton, North Carolina. The grave is commonly referred to as “The Pirate’s Grave.” Whether or not the story is true, it would make for a great movie.

For more information, visit: https://potus-geeks.livejournal.com/1456158.html

The Current

"Laffite’s legend in Lincolnton involves a possible son by Louisa, an alleged murder at a plantation, an argument with another Frenchman also living undercover and a sword with his initials hidden in plain sight."

Read more at: https://thecurrentla.com/2021/a-pirate-gets-his-due

Race Registration

For registration information, visit: The Pirate 5k Run/Walk