UnitedHealthcare Teams up with IRONKIDS to Energize North Carolina Youth, Sponsors IRONKIDS Fun Run in Raleigh

• UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Raleigh to take place Saturday, May 30, at Raleigh Convention Center
• UnitedHealthcare to partner with Harris Creek Elementary to sponsor youth participating in the fun run

UnitedHealthcare is teaming up with IRONKIDS® for the first UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS® Raleigh Fun Run, aimed at inspiring and motivating young people to lead active, positive and healthy lifestyles.

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The one-mile and quarter-mile UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Raleigh Fun Run will take place Saturday, May 30, at 10 a.m. at the Raleigh Convention Center – 500 South Salisbury St.; Raleigh, N.C., 27601.

Onsite registration begins at 8:30 a.m., and each athlete will receive a race bib, T-shirt, goodie bag and finisher medal. The fun run course for “triathletes to be” will take place along portions of the 2015 LexisNexis IRONMAN® 70.3® Raleigh presented by PNC triathlon, which begins the next day.

UnitedHealthcare mascot Dr. Health E. Hound will lead youth and their parents in warm-up exercises and join the kids at the starting line to officially kick-off the fun run. The cost for registration and to participate is $15 for kids ages 3 to 15. Registration details are available at www.IRONKIDS.com.

UnitedHealthcare is providing 50 free race admissions to Harris Creek Elementary to encourage participation.

“The IRONKIDS fun runs give our community the opportunity to have fun together, and begin their day being active and healthy. Walking and running are exercises everyone can do to maintain a healthful lifestyle,” said Anita Bachmann of UnitedHealthcare. “UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to partner with IRONMAN and Harris Creek Elementary to help children in our community live healthier lives.”

This is the fourth year UnitedHealthcare is supporting IRONKIDS as part of the company’s commitment to help stem the rising tide of childhood obesity through healthy lifestyles. The UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS 2015 Series features nine one-mile fun runs and a dip-and-dash. 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. North Carolina ranks 37th in the country, with nearly 30 percent of adults and 12.5 percent of youth estimated to be obese.

“We are thrilled to have a partner in UnitedHealthcare to sponsor these youth events as part of our IRONMAN series,” said Carola Ross, Chief Sales Officer for IRONMAN. “The opportunity the IRONKIDS fun runs offer young athletes 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 more than 60 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 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 UnitedHealthcareUnitedHealthcare 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, military service members, retirees and their families, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 850,000 physicians and care professionals, and 6,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified Fortune 50 health and well-being company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.

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UnitedHealthcareBuddy Castellano, 952-931-4775orIRONKIDSMandy Irizarry, 407-341-4362