Health & Fitness
Health and Fitness
Health and Fitness
Tue, October 18, 2011
Mon, October 17, 2011
Healthways Takes Its Commitment to Well-Being on the Road with Its Second Annual Overnight Ragnar Relay Tennessee Partnership
NASHVILLE, Tenn.--([ BUSINESS WIRE ])--Healthways (NASDAQ: HWAY), the leading provider of specialized, comprehensive health and well-being solutions, kicked off its second annual partnership with Ragnar Relay Series, the nationa™s top provider of overnight, running relay races. Ragnar Relay Tennessee will begin in Chattanooga at 7:00 a.m. on November 4 and ends 200 miles later in Nashville on Saturday, November 5. Community Health Charities of Tennessee is the official charity of this race, benefiting seven non-profit organizations.
"I personally challenge all business and community leaders throughout the state to join us in turning the tide to improve the well-being of Tennessee."
According to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®, Tennessee is ranked as the eleventh worst well-being state in the nation, with 28.9 percent of the population obese. In addition, Tennessee ranks among the bottom five states in the country with some of the highest rates of diagnoses for high blood pressure (36.1 percent), high cholesterol (29.7 percent) and diabetes (14 percent). In fact, Tennessee falls behind the national average in all of these areas. In addition, only 50.2 percent of Tennessee residents exercise on a regular basis (three or more times a week for 30 minutes or longer each time).
aThe state of Tennessee should be a shining example of well-being. With some of the best weather and most beautiful state parks in the country, more of our citizens need to get moving and take advantage of the long-term benefits a healthy lifestyle affords,a said Ben Leedle, Jr., Healthways President and CEO. aI personally challenge all business and community leaders throughout the state to join us in turning the tide to improve the well-being of Tennessee.a
The Ragnar Relay, an overnight relay race, is the fastest growing running category as it attracts novice and elite runners due to its unique team format. Each team is comprised of 12 runners, each running three legs to complete the 36 legs. Ragnar Relay Tennessee expects more than 3200 runners to participate in the 2011 race, and aims to affect communities and get people inspired through a visual model of fun, healthy exercise and sportsmanship.
aWe are pleased to partner with Healthways in this amazing event,a said Susan Garner-Sherrill, Community Health Charities. aThe money raised will go directly to the local health initiatives of several of our member charities, such as Susan G. Komen, St. Jude Childrena™s Hospital, Make-A-Wish and Alzheimer's Association.a
About Healthways
Healthways is the leading provider of specialized, comprehensive solutions to help millions of people maintain or improve their health and well-being and, as a result, reduce overall costs. Healthwaysa™ solutions are designed to help healthy individuals stay healthy, mitigate or eliminate lifestyle risk factors that can lead to disease and optimize care for those with chronic illness. Our proven, evidence-based programs provide highly specific and personalized interventions for each individual in a population, irrespective of age or health status, and are delivered to consumers by phone, mail, internet and face-to-face interactions, both domestically and internationally. Healthways also provides a national, fully accredited complementary and alternative Health Provider Network and a national Fitness Center Network, offering convenient access to individuals who seek health services outside of, and in conjunction with, the traditional healthcare system. For more information, please visit [ www.healthways.com ].
About Ragnar Events, LLC
Ragnar Events, LLC was co-founded in 2004 by Dan Hill and Tanner Bell. The idea to run an overnight 24+-hour relay across the mountains of Utah was a lifelong dream of Dan Hilla™s father. The dream became reality when Dan Hill and his childhood friend Tanner Bell organized the first Wasatch Back Relay, spanning 188 miles from Logan to Park City, UT in 2004. Since 2004 the Ragnar Relay Series has grown from a single relay in Utah to the largest overnight relay series in the nation. The Ragnar Relay Series now has 15 races nationwide and is growing every year. Ragnar Events, LLC is based in Salt Lake City, UT and managed by co-founders Dan Hill and Tanner Bell. Visit [ www.ragnarrelay.com ] for race dates and exact locations.
Photos/MultimediaGallery Available: [ http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50030385&lang=en ]
