The UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Galveston Fun Run Energizes Youth About Healthy Living Through "IRONMAN" Races

The UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Galveston Fun Run raced around the grounds of Moody Gardens today. UnitedHealthcare mascot “Dr. Health E Hound”, Mayor Lewis Rosen, and Don Langer, president of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas, kicked-off the 1-mile course and concluded through the finish line chute with local youth, including kids from the Galveston Boys & Girls Club, L.A Morgan School of Science, and Clearcreek Intermediate School.

The UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Galveston Fun Run Energized Youth About Healthy Living Through "IRONMAN" Races. The UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Galveston Fun Run raced around the grounds of Moody Gardens today. UnitedHealthcare mascot "Dr. Health E Hound", Mayor Lewis Rosen, and Don Langer, president of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Texas, kicked-off the 1-mile course and concluded through the finish line chute with local youth, including kids from the Galveston Boys & Girls Club, L.A Morgan School of Science, and Clearcreek Intermediate School. UnitedHealthcare is sponsoring 10 IRONKIDS events - nine running races and a triathlon - in seven states. The first event was today in Galveston where hundreds of young people, ages 3 to 15, participated in a one-mile race to raise awareness about obesity and living healthy. Photo Credit: Mark Hiebert

UnitedHealthcare is sponsoring 10 IRONKIDS events – nine running races and a triathlon – in seven states. The first event was today in Galveston where hundreds of young people, ages 3 to 15, participated in a one-mile race to raise awareness about obesity and living healthy. The company provided complimentary tickets to the race and weekend-long IRONMAN activities to local youth from under-served areas, enabling kids who often face barriers to good health, to compete in the running event.

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. Texas ranks 38^th in the country in childhood obesity, and more than 15% of Texas youth are estimated to be obese.

Photo Credit: Mark Hiebert

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