Nearly 550 young athletes participated in the third UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS® Tempe Fun Run today at Tempe Beach Park.

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Nearly 550 local youth participated in this morning’s third UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Tempe Fun Run ...

Nearly 550 local youth participated in this morning’s third UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Tempe Fun Run at Tempe Beach Park. Joseph Gaudio, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Arizona CEO and Michael Somsan, a visually impaired IRONMAN triathlete from Phoenix welcomed local youth before they took off on the same course as tomorrow’s IRONMAN Arizona triathlon presented by Waste Management. Pictured at today’s fun run are left to right: Gaudio, State Representative Juan Mendez, Somsan, Dr. Health E. Hound, State Senator Andrew Sherwood. (Photo Credit: Laura Segall)

Michael Somsan, a visually impaired IRONMAN triathlete from Phoenix and mascot Dr. Health E. Hound kicked-off the fun run, joined by Joseph Gaudio, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Arizona. Joining them were State Representative Juan Mendez and State Senator Andrew Sherwood.

Athletes ages 3-15 ran along portions of the IRONMAN Arizona triathlon presented by Waste Management course that begins the next day. UnitedHealthcare provided complimentary admission to children with special needs and physical challenges to encourage participation. Each athlete received a race bib, T-shirt, goodie bag and finisher medal.

Somsan, a U.S. Army veteran, is a practicing attorney in Phoenix and completed his first IRONMAN event in Arizona last year.

“The IRONKIDS fun runs give our community the opportunity to have fun together, and begin their day being active and healthy,” said Gaudio. “We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Michael Somsan in helping young people with special needs accomplish the goal of completing an IRONKIDS fun run.”

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.

“I would like to thank IRONKIDS and UnitedHealthcare for working with the City of Tempe to bring the 2015 IRONKIDS event back to our community,” said Mark Mitchell, Mayor of Tempe. “We’re proud to be the host for events like the UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS Fun Run, which work to raise awareness about obesity and help children develop healthy lifestyles.”

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. Arizona ranks 17th in the country with nearly 27 percent of adults and 10 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 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, 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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