UnitedHealthcare is teaming up with IRONKIDS for the UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS New Orleans youth race to inspire and motivate young people to lead active, positive and healthy lifestyles.

The UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS New Orleans will take place Saturday, April 12, at 9 a.m. at South Shore Marina – 6701 Stars & Stripes Blvd. in New Orleans.

The fun-run (¼ mile, ½ mile and 1 mile course) is an age-appropriate race for “triathletes to be” and will take place during the IRONMAN 70.3 events that weekend. Participating young athletes and their parents/guardians will be able to run along portions of the IRONMAN 70.3 course.

UnitedHealthcare mascot Dr. Health E. Hound will participate in the events, helping youth and their parents with warm-up exercises and joining the kids at the starting line to officially kick-off the race. UnitedHealthcare employees will cheer youth participants and lead healthy, hands-on activities such as games and exercises, and distribute educational materials. The company will award each runner with medals, healthy snacks, race bibs and T-shirts.

New Orleans-area kids and families are invited to participate. The cost for registration and to participate is $15 for kids ages 3 to 15. Registration details are available at www.IRONKIDS.com.

UnitedHealthcare will donate $15/person for the first 200 registered participants to the Boys & Girls Club in New Orleans. The company is providing 50 free race admissions to the Boys & Girls Club to encourage more children to participate.

“The IRONKIDS fun-runs give children, young adults and families the opportunity to have fun together and enhance their health and well-being. These races inspire all of us to be active and stay healthy,” said April Golenor, president, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Louisiana. “UnitedHealthcare is grateful for the opportunity to sponsor this sponsor this youth event in New Orleans and support the Boys & Girls Club in the community.”

This is the third year UnitedHealthcare is supporting IRONKIDS events across the country as part of the company’s commitment to help stem the rising tide of childhood obesity through 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. Louisiana ranks 50th in the country with nearly 35 percent of adults and 16 percent of youth estimated to be obese.

The UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS 2014 Running Series features nine one-mile fun-runs and a dip-and-dash, as well as music and health expos, and the opportunity to watch IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 events along with hundreds of spectators.

“We are thrilled to have UnitedHealthcare team-up with IRONKIDS to sponsor these youth events across the country as part of our IRONMAN series,” said Carola Ross, senior vice president of Sales and Marketing for IRONMAN North America. “The opportunity these fun-runs afford to youth in these communities is tremendous, as these races can be the catalyst for a lifetime of exercise and healthy living.”

For more information about UnitedHealthcare IRONKIDS New Orleans and to register, visit www.IRONKIDS.com.

UnitedHealthcare offers health benefits, including employer-sponsored, Medicare and Medicaid health plans, to more than 652,000 people in Louisiana and partners with nearly 10,600 physicians across the state. For more information about UnitedHealthcare, visit www.uhc.com or follow @myUHC on Twitter.

Logo courtesy IRONKIDS