SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Elliott Jung loves to run. In fact, he loves to run great distances. It's a passion, that funny enough, he discovered from a simple bet.
"I was with three of my buddies and we were talking about long-distance running. I said 'Running can't be that difficult,' and they said 'You just can't go out there and run 20 miles,'" Jung explained. "We came back from our trip to the East Coast, and the next thing you know I'm trying to run 20 miles without stopping."
It started with a bet, and now you can call Elliott an ultra marathon runner.
What started as a 20-mile run turned into a 120 mile race. Just recently, he ran a day-night-day 100K race.
"I think it's an incredibly fun time. However, when I'm in the race, there are many times I'm saying, 'Why am I doing this? Why am I even here?' However, the second that I finish I want to do it again," he says.
While running ultra marathons takes a physical toll on the body, Jung says it really is the mental toughness that gets him to the finish line.
"It's tough, because you come up with all the excuses. You come up with so many excuses as to why you should stop, but once you have done this a couple times, you kind of get used to the pain," he says. "It's a weird thing to describe, but you do get used to the pain and you are able to push through it."
Jung says he couldn't be more proud of his next running adventure, dubbed "Miles for Maui."
"We all know about all the stuff that is happening in Maui, and I just felt compelled to give back," he says. "I wanted to take something that I love to do, the running, and I'm going to try and raise some funds for all the stuff that is happening in Maui."
Jung, who is an attorney for HHJ Trial Attorneys, says anybody interested in participating as a sponsor can do so for the entire month of October.
"Everyone has a sponsor that pledges a certain amount of money, and all that money will be going towards all the young kids that have been affected out in Maui," he says.
