UnitedHealthcare and IRONKIDS join forces to motivate young people to lead healthy lifestyles

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

The UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Kansas Fun Run will begin at 10 a.m. at Clinton State Park Campground #3. 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 the young runners on their quest to be "IRONKIDS." Runners will receive race bibs, T-shirts and medals at the finish line.

Lawrence-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 first year UnitedHealthcare is sponsoring the one-mile Fun Run in Kansas. The age-appropriate (¼ mile, ½ mile and 1 mile) course for "triathletes to be" will take place along portions of The Oread IRONMAN 70.3 Kansas course, which begins the next day.

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

"This IRONKIDS Fun Run is a great way for children and families in Kansas to enhance their health and well-being," said Tim Spilker, president, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Kansas. "We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with the Boys & Girls Club 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. Kansas ranks 27^th in the country, with nearly 30 percent of adults estimated to be obese.

The UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS 2014 Running Series features nine one-mile 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, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing for IRONMAN North America. "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."

UnitedHealthcare offers health benefits, including employer-sponsored, Medicare and Medicaid health plans, to more than 516,000 Kansans and partners with nearly 7,300 physicians across the state. For more information about UnitedHealthcare, visit www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.