Photo courtesy of Tim Hagel Five of the seven team members are, from left, Capt. Randy Pentis, Sgt. Paul Higgason, Sgt. Frank Underlin, Capt. Dave Kenney and Capt. Tim Hagel. The team competed last year in the Great Wall Marathon in China.

Ryan Wright has lived with Type 1 diabetes for 30 years.

It is robbing him of his sight and is likely the cause of the nerve damage to his heart. But the 36-year-old husband, father and Ventura County senior deputy district attorney lives a life he describes as "awesome."

That's why he agreed, after an internal debate over privacy vs. awareness, to let his friends in law enforcement raise money in his name for juvenile diabetes research as part of their annual fundraising run.

"I certainly benefitted in my life from the research that has been done," said Wright, who prosecutes major narcotics cases. "Maybe I can demonstrate to people you can have a pretty awesome life. I have a wife. I have kids. I have one of the most awesome jobs on the planet."

Cops Running for Charity has raised $33,000 so far for this year's race, surpassing its initial goal. All of the money goes directly to medical groups and charities. Along with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, this year's recipients include the Make-A-Wish Foundation and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles.

The fundraising run is anything but typical. On Saturday, the seven cops — all members of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department — will run 35 miles across the northern portion of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in Iceland, traversing ice fields, rivers and active volcanoes in temperatures in the 40s. The event is known as an ultra-marathon.

"We love the challenge, and we love challenging people to support us," said Capt. Randy Pentis. "What we do is nothing compared to fighting a disease."

Cops Running for Charity was born in 2003, sketched out on the back of a napkin in a restaurant during a discussion of how the officers could give back. For Pentis and his teammates — sheriff's captains Tim Hagel and Dave Kenney; sergeants Paul Higgason, Frank Underlin and Joe Devorick, and Senior Deputy Peter Frank — the grueling races are a labor of love rooted in their own life experiences.

Hagel lost his father to hepatitis C. Pentis' son, Dominic, has juvenile diabetes. Each team member realized his family had been touched by chronic illness or debilitating diseases.

The officers had other commonalities. They were all runners, and they all had wanderlust.

With a combined 120 years of law enforcement experience, the runners have tapped into their connections in the community to help raise money for organizations ranging from the American Heart Association to the Alzheimer's Foundation.

Last year, the team competed in the Great Wall Marathon, negotiating the ancient wall in China, running through villages and getting cheered on by residents who had never seen Westerners. Hagel, who didn't start running until he was 40, described the adventure as euphoric.

Along with the physically demanding terrain came the issue of food. The runners burn about 1,000 calories an hour but try to eat about 400 calories every 60 minutes. One meal consisted of pigeon.

"Food was very rough," Hagel said. "You have to eat, and I was pretty hungry. It was like really gross, crunchy, greasy chicken."

In 2006, the cops ran for charity through the Sahara desert in Tunisia, competing alongside Olympic athletes with their teams of doctors and trainers in a stage race that totaled 85 miles over four days. The group was the first American team to compete in that race.

They have also run in the New York and Chicago marathons.

"It's all about challenge," Hagel said, "recognizing publicly the challenges people with chronic illness face and challenging ourselves."

Peter Frank is one of the newest teammates. He ran in China and New York. A longtime participant in charity races, Frank said the cause was worth the time it takes to train for each race.

The training regime, organized by Frank, includes 15- to 22-mile group runs each weekend across steep trails in Sycamore and La Jolla canyons. The runners also train on their own, logging about 50 miles a week.

"My wife is very understanding of what I do," Frank said. "You have to give up time, but it's totally worth it."

And for Wright, Frank said, he would do whatever it takes to help him. "He's a great guy," Frank said. "I would run 100 miles if it would help him."

Wright was first diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when he was 6. His parents went out of their way to create a normal life for him, with his mother driving to sleepovers Ryan attended to give him insulin shots.

"My friends just rolled with it," Wright said.

He wants the public to know the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Type 1 isn't caused by a bad diet, and it can cause kidney and heart failure.

"There is some evil stuff that happens with this disease," Wright said. "This is a disease that can kill you if it's not well-regulated and controlled."

That's why Pentis and the rest of the team will run for Wright, Dominic and others touched by the disease. "It's harder on me than it is on him," Pentis said of son Dominic. "I'm still very emotional. As a dad, I want to fix it. As a cop, I want to fix it. I can't. I can't fix Ryan Wright, but I can raise money."

For more information on Cops Running for Charity, contact Pentis at 494-8248 or randy.pentis@ventura.org.