St. Vincent de Paul: Love your Neighbor 5k

Join us for the Sixth Annual Love Your Neighbor 5K Presented by Ascension St. Vincent
Join us in loving our neighbors by participating in our Love Your Neighbor 5K Run/Walk presented by Ascension St. Vincent and Performance Services! You have three options for this year's event:

1. Participate in our 5K event on April 25th at White River State Park.
2. Participate in our 1-mile family fun run, also at White River State Park.
3. Sponsor a student from a local high school to participate. 

Did we mention we also have sponsorship opportunities? 100% of all sponsorship dollars go directly to support our homeless and other critical programs. 
This is the perfect time to Love Your Neighbor!

In SVdP Indy’s 75-year history, there’s never been a more important time to love our neighbors. Indiana has an estimated 5,625 experiencing homelessness on any given day, as reported by Continuums of Care to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in 2020. Of those, 482 were family households, 530 were veterans, 266 were unaccompanied young adults (aged 18-24), and 403 were individuals experiencing chronic homelessness. The impact of homelessness on education and learning is equally sobering. An estimated 18,252 public school students experienced homelessness over the course of the year. Of that total, 257 students are unsheltered, 2,268  in shelters, 1,573 were in hotels/motels, and 14,154 were doubled-up, according to U.S. Department of Education data ( 2018-2019 school year).
 
Bottom line: The needs are great—and growing every day. But, together, we can make a difference.
 
Please consider sponsoring our upcoming Love Your Neighbor 5K Run/Walk. This event—hosted by sponsored by Society of St. Vincent De Paul Indianapolis (SVdP Indy)—will be held on April 27 at White River State Park. 

Please check the link for more information on sponsorships. 
https://app.etapestry.com/onlineforms/StVincentdePaul_Indy/give-1-1-1.html

The 5k course highlights scenic views throughout White River State Park.  The start/finish is on the Indiana State Museum Lawn.  Along the route participants will enjoy views of Celebration Plaza, pedestrian bridge, the newly redesigned TCU Ampitheater, Indianapolis Zoo and NCAA Headquarters.  The route finishes with a short stint along the Canal and Military Park before heading to the finish line.  To see the route in motion, click here: https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2183968

The 1 mile route turns on the red bricks in front of NCAA Headquarters until reaching the turn around point.  From there, the 1 mile participants turn around and follow the same route to the finish as the 5k participants.  https://www.plotaroute.com/route/2184044

Start/Finish: The start and finish for The Love Your Neighbor 5k will be along the canal wall just west of the Indiana State Museum Lawn. 

• Do you have any of the following symptoms or conditions?
• Fever or Chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or Body Aches
• Headache
• Recent loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Within the past 14 days, have you had contact with anyone that you know that had COVID-19 or COVID-19 like symptoms?
• Have you had a positive COVID-19 test for active virus in the past 10 days?
• Within the past 14 days, has a public health or medical professional told you to self-monitor, self-isolate, or self quarantine because of concerns about COVID-19 infection?
  Are you ill or is someone you are caring for ill? 

If you have one or more symptoms listed above, or answered yes to any of the above questions please stay home, and take care of yourself. You can reach out to us to arrange packet shipping or to set up picking up your packet at a later date. Thanks for doing your part to keep us all safe!

Is there a time limit?
The 5k Course will not have a time limit. 

May I run/walk with a stroller?
You most certainly may! You DO NOT have to pay for a baby in a stroller unless they would like SWAG (shirt/medal). Strollers will be allowed on the 5k Course. Please just make sure to line up according to your pace and be aware of the other racers positions in relation to your stroller. Basically, just be courteous, don't block, or run anyone over and you'll be good!

May I run/walk with my dog?
Here at RMP, we love puppies so much! So it is hard to say no, but no. Per our insurance we cannot have puppies, no matter how cute they are, on the course racing amongst all of our participants. Sorry!

Are there any age requirements for the events?
Any participants that are 10 and under will need to be accompanied by an adult. 

Where should I park?
The start/finish is located at White River State Park (801 W Washington St Indianapolis, Indiana 46204).  Here is the link to a map and other info for parking. Parking Information

Is there a registration deadline to receive shirt/medal?
Race SWAG is ordered 2-4 weeks in advance of the race. We do our best to predict race needs in advance, but its possible that we could run out of shirts and/or medals. To be certain that you will receive a medal and the desired shirt in the desired size, plan to register at least 2 weeks before the race. After we place our shirt order, inventory will be entered into the registration system. As sizes sell out, they will no longer be able to be added to registrations. If you register and are able to select a specific shirt and size, its all yours. If your size is sold out, you may opt to skip the shirt and save $5 off registration by select "opt out of shirt" If medals sell out, we will also let you know during the registration process.

Can I have a friend/family member pick up my packet for me?
Absolutely! Race morning can get crazy if we have long lines at packet pick up, so if a friend is picking up theirs early, go ahead and let them grab yours too!

How can I volunteer?
We LOVE volunteers! We need people on the course to cheer on our runners and make sure they stay on course. We need folks to help hand out medals at the finish line and more.    If you would like to volunteer check out the VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES.

I have registered, but now am unable to make the race. What are my options?
We do have a no refund policy, but we can definitely get you into the virtual race event. If you would like to switch to virtual, please email us by Monday, April 24th. You may pick up your SWAG at Packet Pick Up or have it shipped for a fee. See our VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION page for more info.

Have a question that is not answered here? 
Email us! It is highly possible that we've forgotten something important here on the FAQ page! Don't hesitate to email us and ask! It may even spark us to add the question to this FAQ page.

Friday, April 24, 2026 4:00 PM - 6:00 PM

We will also offer a packet pickup on race morning, April 25th from 7:30 - 8:45 AM

Race Morning Parking Info: 

The start/finish is located at White River State Park (801 W Washington St Indianapolis, Indiana 46204). Inside the park we will physically be just north of the main entrance to the park (small parking lot at their main entrance), and just west of the Indiana State Museum Lawn along the canal wall. The best parking would be at Republic Parking (white river state parking) also known as the Indiana State Museum garage as it is located just under their front lawn. Here is more info: White River State Park Parking. 

Please note you there is ample street parking throughout downtown as well. Most is metered parking which you can download the Park Indy App, or check out VISIT Indy here. 

Ultimately there are tons of options with a variety of prices and proximity to the event. 

2026 Swag Coming soon!

Love Your Neighbor 5k Participants Get the Following Items: 

• Fun 5k in Downtown Indy in the beautiful White River State Park 
• Mylaps Chip Timing with Live Results, Pace Breakdown, and Placing 
• Comfy, Super Soft Love Your Neighbor 5k Tee
• Custom Finisher Medal 
• A 27% Off Coupon at Mission 27 Resale Stores
• 1 Free Beer (With ID only)
• Prize for best "Love Your Neighbor" outfit (red, pink, hearts, etc) 

NO VIRTUAL OPTION FOR 2024

Those who choose to race virtually will have the freedom to sleep-in and run wherever they choose from April 15-29, 2023. Hit the trails in the afternoon or a treadmill while watching Netflix. Your call! 

Results Submission:

Please submit results during the virtual race window of April 15-29, 2022. Submit Virtual Results using this link: https://runsignup.com/Race/Results/90165

Packet Pickup:

Virtual participants may attend the same packet pickup as the live event participants. 

Friday, April 28, 2023 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Mission 27 Resale Store
132 Leota Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202

 
Packet Shipping:

Don't want to attend Packet Pickup? No problem. You will have the option to add-on shipping to your registration for a fee. We will start shipping the Virtual Packets on Friday, April 28nd. 

Stuff We All Get: Virtual Participants

• Comfy, Super Soft Love Your Neighbor 5k Tee
• Custom Finisher Medal
• A 27% Off Coupon at Mission 27 Resale Stores

Please help us Love Your Neighbors by becoming an Individual or Team Fundraiser!!

Individual Fundraisers

Any participant can become an individual fundraiser!

1. Simply sign up for individual fundraising during the race registration process
2. Follow the prompts to create your personal fundraising page
3. Share with your supporters, so you can become SVdP's biggest individual fundraiser!  

Team Fundraisers

Calling families, friends, co-workers, church parishioners, running groups and more to become Team Fundraisers for Love Your Neighbor 5K!  Any group can become team fundraisers!  

1. Team participants sign up for their selected race through the normal registration process and opt to participate in team fundraising  
2. Then they will have the option to join an existing team or create a new team
3. Follow the prompts to create promotional items
4. Share your mission and goals with your supporters  
5. Encourage more team participation and repeat!  

Every penny of your gift goes straight to our homeless programs and other initiatives. The need for your support is skyrocketing this year and we need your help! 

   $50 will provide one of our unsheltered neighbors with a backpack containing shirts, pants, socks, underwear, and toiletries

   $250 will give five unsheltered neighbors backpacks with clothing and toiletries

   $500 will provide a backpack, weather-resistant tent, sleeping bag, and tarp for two unsheltered neighbors

THANK YOU!!!  

Help us spread the word about The Love Your Neighbor Virtual 5k! After registering, you will receive a referral link to share on social media and/or email. Get 4 or more of your friends, neighbors, family members to register as well using your link, and we'll automatically refund you $25. 

*Please Note: that this program ONLY works with use of your referral link. We cannot manually add referrals that did not register with your link. Sorry.