UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Lake Stevens Fun Run Energizes Youth About Healthy Living Through “IRONMAN” Races
The UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Lake Stevens Fun Run raced around North
Cove Park in Lake Stevens Washington today. UnitedHealthcare mascot “Dr.
Health E. Hound" joined Mayor Vern Little and more than 100 kids and
their families during kick-off and medal ceremony for the 1-mile
course aimed to help stem the rising tide of childhood obesity through
exercise and healthy lifestyles.
![Kids at the starting line of the UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Lake Stevens Fun Run. Photo Credit: Kim D ...](http://mms.businesswire.com/media/20130720005012/en/376626/4/20130720-_MG_0059.jpg)
Kids at the starting line of the UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Lake Stevens Fun Run. Photo Credit: Kim Doyel
UnitedHealthcare is sponsoring 10 IRONKIDS events – nine running races
and a triathlon – in seven states. Today’s Fun Run included hundreds of
young “triathletes to be”, ages 3 to 15. The company provided
complimentary tickets to the race and weekend-long IRONMAN activities to
local youth from the Lake Stevens Boys & Girls Club and Sea Mar,
enabling youth who often face barriers to good health, to compete in the
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. Childhood obesity has tripled since 1980 with
nearly one in every three children being overweight or obese (U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Washington ranks 18th
in the country with almost 1.4 million adults estimated to be obese
(United Health Foundation’s Annual Health Rankings).
Click
here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for UnitedHealth Group.
![](http://cts.businesswire.com/ct/CT?id=bwnews&sty=20130720005012r1&sid=ntxv4&distro=nx)
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20130720005012/en/
Copyright Business Wire 2013