Categorized | Multi-sport, Sports

Ironkids Fun Run and Keiki Dip-n-Dash event coming up Tuesday (Oct 6)

MEDIA RELEASE

KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii – UnitedHealthcare is teaming up with IRONKIDS® for the second IRONKIDS® Keiki Dip-n-Dash, aimed at inspiring and motivating young people to lead active, positive and healthy lifestyles.

The UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS® Fun Run and Keiki Dip-n-Dash will take place Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 4 p.m. at Kailua Pier – Kaʻahumanu Place; Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, 96740.

On-site registration is from 8 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. in the King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel and again at 3 p.m. at the Kailua Pier. Each athlete will receive a race bib, T-shirt, goodie bag and finisher medal. The course for “triathletes to be” will take place along portions of the 2015 IRONMAN® World Championship presented by GoPro course, which takes place later in the week on Saturday, October 10.

The cost for registration and to participate is $10 for kids ages 2 to 14. All participants must be able to swim 150 yards in open water, and no flotation devices are allowed. The distances include a Keiki Run (ages 2-14): quarter-mile and one-mile, and Keiki Swim-Run (ages 6-14): 150 yard swim/one-mile run. Registration details are available at http://www.ironman.com/triathlon/events/americas/ironkids/hawaii.aspx On-line registration closes at midnight on Friday, October 2.

UnitedHealthcare is providing 50 free admissions and a $3,000 donation to Kama‘aina Kids, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to serving children and their families through quality childcare programs, prior to the race to support youth healthy lifestyles. Following the Dip-n-Dash, IRONKIDS will help lead the IRONMAN Parade of Nations to kick off the weeklong IRONMAN World Championship events.

“The fun run and IRONKIDS Dip-n-Dash give our community in Kona the opportunity to have fun together, and end their afternoon being active and healthy. Walking, running and swimming are exercises everyone can do to maintain a healthful lifestyle,” said Dave Heywood, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Hawaii, the company’s Medicaid business. “UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to partner with IRONMAN to help our island 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-n-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. Nearly 22 percent of adults and 13 percent of children in Hawaii are 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.”

“We thank UnitedHealthcare for its support and appreciate the opportunity for our local youth to be part of this fun, exciting IRONKIDS event,” said Mark Nishiyama, vice president, Kama‘aina Kids. “We always reinforce the importance of healthy living to our keiki and Dip-n-Dash is a great way to directly connect that message.”

UnitedHealthcare in Hawaii has more than 200 employees on Oahu, Kauai, Maui and the Big Island, with central offices in Honolulu. With a network of hospitals, clinics, physicians, long-term care and other care providers statewide, UnitedHealthcare serves more than 230,000 Hawaii residents enrolled in UnitedHealthcare’s Medicaid and Medicare programs, as well as members of the U.S. military and their families.

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