UnitedHealthcare Teams Up with IRONKIDS to Energize Nevada Youth During Fun Run in Las Vegas

UnitedHealthcare is teaming up with IRONKIDS for the UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS® Las Vegas Fun Run to inspire and motivate young people to lead active, positive and healthy lifestyles.

Young athletes cross the finish line with UnitedHealthcare mascot Dr. Health E. Hound at the 2013 UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Las Vegas Fun Run (Photo: Bryan Steffy).

The UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Las Vegas Fun Run will begin at 9 a.m. at Henderson Pavilion - 200 South Green Valley Parkway in Henderson. Participating children and their families are encouraged to arrive early. Onsite registration and pre-event activities begin at 7:45 a.m. and include healthy snacks, games, arts and crafts, educational materials and warm-up exercises.

UnitedHealthcare mascot Dr. Health E. Hound will lead warm-up exercises and join the kids at the starting line to officially kick-off the race. Families, community leaders, UnitedHealthcare employees and IRONMAN supporters will line the course to cheer for the young runners on their quest to be “IRONKIDS.” Runners will receive race bibs, T-shirts and medals at the finish line.

Las Vegas and Henderson-area kids and families are invited to participate. The cost for registration is $15 for kids ages 3 to 15. Registration details are available at www.IRONKIDS.com.

This is the second year UnitedHealthcare is sponsoring the one-mile Fun Run in Nevada. The one mile fun run course for “triathletes to be” will take place along portions of the 2014 IRONMAN® 70.3® Silverman race course, which begins the next day.

UnitedHealthcare and IRONKIDS are providing 100 free registrations to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas, and will donate $15 for each registered runner, up to the first 200 participants. The donation will support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Las Vegas’ after-school health programs.

“This IRONKIDS Fun Run is a great way for children and families in Nevada to enhance their health and well-being,” said Don Giancursio, CEO, UnitedHealthcare of Nevada. “We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Boys & Girls Clubs and inspire young people to be active and stay healthy.”

This is the third year UnitedHealthcare is supporting IRONKIDS as part of the company’s commitment to help stem the rising tide of childhood obesity through healthy lifestyles. Obesity among children and adolescents has almost tripled since 1980, with nearly one in every three children being overweight or obese, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Children from low-income and low-education households are three-times more likely to suffer from obesity, which is a leading risk factor for diabetes, heart disease and many cancers, according to America’s Health Rankings®, an annual comprehensive assessment of the nation’s health on a state-by-state basis.

The 2014 UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS North American Running Series features nine Fun Runs and a dip-and-dash, as well as music and health expos, and the opportunity to watch IRONMAN® and IRONMAN® 70.3® events with hundreds of spectators.

“We are thrilled to have UnitedHealthcare team up with IRONKIDS to sponsor these youth events across the country as part of our IRONMAN series,” said Carola Ross, Chief Sales Officer for IRONMAN. “The opportunity these Fun Runs give children in these communities is tremendous, as these races can be the catalyst for a lifetime of exercise and healthy living.”

About IRONKIDS
After being acquired from the Sara Lee Corporation, which owned the event series since 1985, IRONKIDS® launched in 2009 with nine events in the IRONKIDS® National Triathlon Series. Since the inaugural year, IRONKIDS has seen more than 60,000 participants and has grown to over 40 events worldwide including races in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. The brand represents a multi-dimensional approach to creating positive experiences for athletes, families and communities as, as well as embodies achievement and determination while fostering self-esteem. The IRONKIDS mission is to inspire and motivate through the sport to live an active, positive and healthy lifestyle. For more information visit www.ironkids.com.

About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people nationwide live healthier lives by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 800,000 physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. Globally, UnitedHealthcare serves more than 45 million people in health benefits and is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company.

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