UnitedHealthcare and IRONKIDS® are hosting the first-ever
UnitedHealthcare Panama City IRONKIDS Fun Run, bringing together
hundreds of youth and their families for half-mile and mile races to
promote fitness and health.
The event will benefit the Children’s Tumor Foundation, a not-for-profit
organization dedicated to finding effective treatments for the millions
of people living with neurofibromatosis (NF). Neurofibromatosis
comprises a set of distinct genetic disorders that cause tumors to grow
on nerves throughout the body and can affect the development of
non-nervous tissues such as bones and skin, according to the Foundation.
The event will be held at the Boardwalk Hotel near the IRONMAN Expo
Friday, Nov. 1, at 3:30 p.m. Online registration is available at www.IronKids.com
and www.Active.com.
Onsite registration and packet pick-ups will begin during race week at
the IRONMAN Expo, beginning Wednesday, Oct. 30 through the day of the
race. An IRONKIDS tent will be set up for onsite registrations the
afternoon of the race.
Young athletes ages 3 to 15 will have the opportunity to run a portion
of the IRONMAN Run Course and cross the same finish line as the IRONMAN
athletes. Participating youth athletes will receive a numbered race bib,
finishing medal, T-shirt, refreshments and the honor of calling
themselves an IRONKID as part of their participation. UnitedHealthcare
mascot Dr. Health E. Hound will be on hand to participate in warm-up
exercises, help officially kick-off the race and award medals at the
finish line.
A portion of each IRONKIDS $15 registration entry will be donated to the
Children’s Tumor Foundation. In addition, UnitedHealthcare is donating
$5,000 to support the organization and its mission. A check presentation
will be made at the beginning of the race to Children’s Tumor Foundation
representatives.
“UnitedHealthcare is partnering with IRONKIDS to empower Florida youth
and their families to improve their health and well-being,” said Steve
Nelson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare’s Medicaid business and participant in
the IRONMAN event. “This event benefits the Children’s Tumor Foundation
and we are lending our support to this important cause in order to raise
greater awareness of neurofibromatosis.”
“We are grateful to IRONKIDS and UnitedHealthcare for joining forces to
support our organization,” said John Risner, president and CEO of the
Children’s Tumor Foundation. “Raising awareness through such a
high-profile event and providing critical funding support helps our
mission to provide services to individuals and families living with NF.”
The Panama City Fun Run is part of the 2013 UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS
National Race series that the company has sponsored across the country
aimed at inspiring and motivating young people to lead active, positive
and healthy lifestyles. This is the second year UnitedHealthcare is
supporting IRONKIDS races as part of the company’s overall commitment to
promote healthy lifestyles.
“IRONKIDS is honored to work with UnitedHealthcare to support the
Children’s Tumor Foundation as part of Panama City’s first IRONKIDS
competition,” said Carola Ross, senior vice president of Sales and
Marketing for IRONMAN North America. “Through UnitedHealthcare’s support
we are helping tremendous causes and affording thousands of youth to
participate in fun races that can be the catalyst for a lifetime of
exercise and healthy living.”
About Children’s Tumor Foundation
The
Children's Tumor Foundation is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization
dedicated to finding effective treatments for the millions of people
worldwide living with neurofibromatosis (NF), a term for three distinct
disorders: NF1, NF2, and schwannomatosis. NF causes tumors to grow on
nerves throughout the body and can lead to blindness, bone
abnormalities, cancer, deafness, disfigurement, learning disabilities,
and excruciating and disabling pain. NF affects one in every 3,000
people, more than cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and
Huntington’s disease combined. The Children’s Tumor Foundation funds
critical research into neurofibromatosis. In addition to benefiting
those who live with NF, this research is shedding new light on several
forms of cancer, brain tumors, bone abnormalities, and learning
disabilities, ultimately benefiting the broader community. For more
information, please visit www.ctf.org.
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 780,000 physicians
and other care professionals and 5,900 hospitals and other care
facilities nationwide. UnitedHealthcare serves more than 40 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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Copyright Business Wire 2013