As the first week of the National Senior Games in Palo Alto winds down,
Humana’s (NYSE: HUM) Freewheelin bike-sharing program is shifting into
an even speedier gear, with athletes, spectators, and Stanford
University students and faculty of all ages checking out bicycles to
enjoy the amazing California weather while getting some exercise and
having some fun. The innovative bike-sharing program from Humana
recorded 1,179 rides, 5,659 miles ridden, 175,417 calories burned and a
carbon-footprint reduction of 2 metric tons – more than halfway to the
mileage and rides challenge Humana chairman David A. Jones, Jr. issued
earlier in the week.
“I’m pleased to see that within the first week of the Senior Games, the
Freewheelin program has once again shown to be incredibly popular,
already about three-quarters of the way to our mileage goal,” said
Jones, also a bronze medalist in his age group in the triathlon at this
year’s Senior Games. “Freewheelin has been extremely successful every
place we’ve brought it, and I’m gratified to be able to share the fun of
getting out and about on two wheels with even more people.”
To keep track of the mileage and ride challenge, a large Humana
“scoreboard” is updated several times each day, letting riders know how
they’re contributing to meeting the challenge goals – including the
total calories burned, carbon footprint reduction and the state with the
most miles ridden.
During the National Senior Games, presented by Humana, the health
benefits company is offering bicycles free of charge to anyone 18 and
older from the hours of 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Freewheelers are encouraged
to take a ride around Stanford University’s scenic campus, home of this
year’s biennial competition, or take a short ride into Palo Alto, which
has teamed up with Humana to bring 120 bikes and two bikes stations to
the games.
How Freewheelin Works
Bicycles will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Aug. 1-15. Riders
must present a credit card and a photo ID to check out a bike; no
charges will be placed on the card, provided bikes are returned by 6
p.m. Bikes may be returned to either of two Freewheelin stations set up
on the Stanford University campus. Humana also will allow all riders to
borrow helmets and bike locks free of charge. The station locations are
as follows:
Freewheelin’s Road to Success
In 2008, Humana and the bicycle-advocacy group Bikes Belong took 1,000
bicycles to each of the national political conventions. Over eight days,
riders in Denver and Minneapolis-St. Paul took more than 7,500 rides,
pedaled nearly 42,000 miles, burned 1.3 million calories and reduced
their carbon footprint by 14.6 metric tons. It was such a success that
Humana decided to keep the Freewheelin program rolling … later taking it
to other events, and now bringing it to the National Senior Games.
Bike-sharing is the international social movement where bikes are
situated at designated stations throughout cities for individuals to use
for a specified amount of time. It is a viable transportation
alternative for those who prefer an environmentally friendly,
cost-effective and healthy means of traveling, especially for short
trips. Freewheelin is one of a number of initiatives Humana is
developing to encourage people to have fun and get active, including
everything from rewards for walking to video games that promote exercise.
Humana pioneered the bike-sharing program in 2007 in Louisville for its
nearly 10,000 Louisville associates. The initiative focuses on fun as
well as health by encouraging people to get on a bike and ride with
friends. Twenty-one percent of those riding at Humana were not
previously involved in exercise activity.
About Humana
Humana Inc., headquartered in Louisville, Ky., is one of the nation’s
largest publicly traded health and supplemental benefits companies, with
approximately 10.3 million medical members. Humana is a full-service
benefits solutions company, offering a wide array of health and
supplementary benefit plans for employer groups, government programs and
individuals.
Over its 48-year history, Humana has consistently seized opportunities
to meet changing customer needs. Today, the company is a leader in
consumer engagement, providing guidance that leads to lower costs and a
better health plan experience throughout its diversified customer
portfolio.
More information regarding Humana is available to investors via the
Investor Relations page of the company’s Web site at http://www.humana.com,
including copies of:
-- Annual reports to stockholders
-- Securities and Exchange Commission filings
-- Most recent investor conference presentations
-- Quarterly earnings news releases
-- Replays of most recent earnings release conference calls
-- Calendar of events (includes upcoming earnings conference call dates
and times, as well as planned interaction with research analysts and
institutional investors)
-- Corporate Governance Information
About the National Senior Games
Association
The National Senior Games Association is a non-profit member of the
United States Olympic Committee dedicated to motivating senior men and
women to lead a healthy lifestyle through the senior games movement.
The organization governs the Summer National Senior Games, the largest
multi-sport event in the world for seniors, and other national senior
athletic events. It is an umbrella for member state organizations across
the United States that host State Senior Games or Senior Olympics. The
NSGA supports and sanctions these member state organizations so that
adults can participate in their state in events year-round. www.nsga.com
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6025650&lang=en
Humana Corporate Communications
Breck Thomas-Ross, 502-580-8676
Mobile:
502-762-5962
bathomas@humana.com