IRIS SMOOT/Acorn Newspapers FLEET OF FOOT—Moorpark resident Gregory Jones trains daily for the San Diego 100-mile Endurance Run in June. A portion of the funds he is raising for the race will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Running is therapeutic for him, Jones said. Most of us would never consider running the distance between Moorpark and the Malibu pier, but Greg Jones has traveled this 30-mile route on foot several times over the past year.

The 28-year-old Moorpark resident who grew up in Oak Park is training for the San Diego 100-mile Endurance Run in the Cuyamaca Mountains near San Diego on June 6 and 7. The two-day run is organized by the San Diego Ultra Running Friends organization.

Proceeds from the run go to groups including the San Diego Search and Rescue Team and the San Diego Sheriff's Department Search and Rescue Bureau and to causes chosen by individual participants.

Jones has selected to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater Los Angeles and the Tri-Counties.

"The MakeAWish Foundation is a selfless cause and great organization," Jones said of the group that helps grant wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. "It just resonated strongly in me."

The average cost per wish is $7,500, said Jones, who hopes to gather $60,000 in contributions by June.

"It definitely sounds like a great commitment. It's so wonderful that he's chosen to raise funds for us as well," said Brooke Dafesh, event manager for the MakeaWish Foundation.

Jones has been training for a year and a half. He gets up at 4 a.m. to run five miles before going to work at a credit card terminal company in Chatsworth and runs another eight to 15 miles in the evening, he said.

On the weekends he takes on longer distances on the fire trails surrounding Agoura, Moorpark and Malibu.

"It has just been a blessing. It's the most magnificent scenery." The local runner qualified for the San Diego race in a 50mile endurance run in San Leandro, Calif. in October with a time of 8 hours, 52 minutes. It was the first time he'd taken part in such a long run.

"I ended 21st overall and third amongst rookies of that particular race," Jones said. "I finished beyond my wildest dreams."

Jones, who said he started running to get back in shape, has lost 30 pounds over the past year. He used to hate running, he said, but it's now become therapeutic for him.

Practicing for ultra races isn't easy, but it's a worthy personal challenge, he said. Aside from the expected physical pain, the most challenging part is psychological.

"Your body and mind are continually convincing you every possible reason on why you should stop and give up. That is where many succumb, even myself at times," he said.

It's about thinking in the moment and taking one step at a time, he added.

Jones said his parents and friends were at first skeptical of the whole running thing, but when they saw the Moorpark resident arrive on foot at his father's house in Oak Park, they started to pay closer attention.

"Anytime I am stranded in Santa Monica or Camarillo I usually don't have a hard time getting a ride," he said. "But to be honest, they probably think I am crazy."

Jones also spends time at the gym doing yoga and Pilates to make sure his body can tolerate the demands of the upcoming ultra run.

For race information, visit www.members.cox.net/ sandiego100/.

All the training leaves little time to solicit funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Jones said.

Moorpark Acorn readers who would like to contribute may contact Jones at (828) 482-9623 or mail a check to: Greg's 100 Mile Marathon, c/o 454 Novara Way, Oak Park, CA 91377.