By Scott Tittrington

In his quest to find the perfect fundraiser for the Thousand Oaks High School cross country program, coach Shawn Morris decided to put his money where his feet are.

Morris is the brainchild behind The Oaks Mile, a race that will make its debut Saturday and which the Lancers’ boss hopes will develop into an annual community event.

“I threw the idea out at a booster meeting in January, and it just kind of took off,” Morris said. “It’s going to be interesting to see how things turn out this first year.”

The one-mile southbound stretch of Moorpark Road between Conejo Valley Plaza and the Janss Marketplace will serve as the race course, with runners divided into 11 different flights based on age and/or level of competition. The first group will start at 8 a.m., with the final flight expected to toe the line at 9:50 a.m.

Morris worked with the city of Thousand Oaks to secure the location and needed to meet requirements regarding traffic control and security.

“This was our No. 1 choice for the location of the race route, and they had no problem with it,” Morris said.

Morris said more than 200 runners have already preregistered for the event, and organizers of similar events have led him to believe another 20 to 30 percent will register on race day. The cost is $25 per person or $60 for a family of three or more, and race participants will receive a free Tshirt. More information can be found at theoaksmile. www.runnerspace.com/

Proceeds from the run will benefit the Thousand Oaks High cross country booster club and other Conejo Valley youth running clubs.

“It’s the first year. We’re just expecting the unexpected,” Morris said. “It’s a lot of good people getting together to hopefully make this race a success.

“It’s a long-term thought process—establish a race in Thousand Oaks that can hopefully get some tradition behind it and become a fun event for the community.”