They Laced Up for Lyme: Evansville Runners Take on Garvin Park for a Cause
The Lyme Warrior 5K brought together competitors and community members alike on a May morning, turning a local park into a starting line for something much bigger than a race.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — There were no podium lights, no stadium crowds, no million-dollar prize purses. Just sneakers on asphalt, a chorus of heavy breathing, and a whole lot of heart.
On the morning of Saturday, May 23, Garvin Park played host to the Evansville leg of the Lyme Warrior 5K — a grassroots road race held annually in May, which is Lyme Disease Awareness Month. Runners of all ages and abilities showed up to sweat together in solidarity with the thousands of Americans living with a disease that is frequently misunderstood, misdiagnosed, and, too often, dismissed.
The course wound through one of Evansville’s most beloved green spaces, and the results at the finish line did not disappoint.
Top Male Finishers
- Jackson Vaught — 21:32.8 (6:57/mile)
- Travis Waters — 22:27.1 (7:14/mile)
- Chris Peters — 23:50.8 (7:41/mile)
Top Female Finishers
- Kendall Edwards — 20:10.2 (6:30/mile)
- Alison Beal-Edwards — 23:34.1 (7:36/mile)
- Brandi Case — 26:19.8 (8:29/mile)
Jackson Vaught crossed the men’s finish line in a brisk 21:32, clocking a 6:57-per-mile pace to claim the top spot. Travis Waters followed close behind at 22:27, with Chris Peters rounding out the men’s podium at 23:50.
On the women’s side, Kendall Edwards blazed to the overall win in a standout 20:10 — a 6:30-per-mile pace that would make anyone doing the mental math quietly impressed. Alison Beal-Edwards followed in second at 23:34, and Brandi Case rounded out the women’s top three with a time of 26:19.
More Than a Morning Run
For all the competitive spirit on display, the Lyme Warrior 5K has never really been about the clock. The race is one of several held simultaneously across the country each May under the banner of Lyme Warrior, a nonprofit organization founded by Lauren Lovejoy — herself a Lyme disease patient who spent years battling misdiagnosis and the long, grinding road to treatment.
The money raised through registration fees and donations goes directly toward Lyme Warrior’s national programs, which include educational resources for patients and caregivers, advocacy for improved diagnostic testing, and signature initiatives like the Smile Boxes program — care packages sent to children living with Lyme disease. In 2024, the organization’s collective 5K events raised more than $25,700 nationwide, a figure the nonprofit called “absolutely amazing.”
The Evansville event is one of several local chapter races in the network, which also includes events in Johnson City, Texas; Greenville, Wisconsin; Frederick, Maryland; Houston; Roanoke, Virginia; and Blacksburg, Virginia — with a virtual option available to anyone who wants to run from wherever they happen to be. The model is deliberately decentralized: Lyme Warrior guides community volunteers to organize races in their own backyards, building local awareness while feeding into a national movement.
It’s a small but meaningful thing — a Saturday morning, a public park, a timed 3.1 miles — and yet for the runners who showed up at Garvin Park last Saturday, it was clearly worth every step.
To learn more about Lyme Warrior, donate, or sign up for a future race, visit lymewarrior.us.