Teammates Tops as 2002 Turns to 2003
BELLE ISLE (12/31) -With a 40-degree temperature and no snow on the ground, it didn't feel much like New Year's Eve.

But none of the 1,000 participants at the 33rd annual New Year's Eve Family Fun Run/Walk were complaining. And a few, like Nicole Blake, used the weather to ring out the old year with their fastest four-mile ever. Blake, a Sterling Heights Stevenson High School senior, battled injuries during her final year of cross country. But nothing could slow her down on the last day of 2002, as she led all women running a PR time of 23:54.

"I ran 24:02 two years ago," said Blake. "I wouldn't call 23:54 a major breakthrough, but I'll take it."

Blake ran much of the course with ex-high school teammate Katie Danyko, 19, now a freshman at Virginia Tech University. "I was fourth and Katie beat me last year," Blake remembered.

This year was different. "Nicole broke me right around two miles," said Danyko. "I took it out the first mile. Then she came up at my side and kept pressing. I kind of let up and Nicole got away from me."

Danyko finished second in 24:36, well off last year's 23:37. Another Sterling Heights prep runner, Mollie Harms, took third in 25:43.

Masters Nancy Cassell, 52, of Northville (26:00) and Ann Remmers, 41, of Ann Arbor (26:04) captured fourth and fifth.

Clint Verran, 27, led a Team Hansons sweep of the men's four-miler, crossing first in 18:50. "I was shooting for 18:40," Verran said. "But with the third mile into the wind, I fell off pace."

Teammates Jeff Campbell, 31, and Carl Rundell, 34, finished 2-3 in 19:21 and 19:23 respectively. Paul Aufdemberge, 38, of Redford, who won this race seven times during the 1990s, took fourth in 19:59.

Team Hansons coach and masters champ Kevin Hanson, 42, captured fifth in 21:25.

Kevin Sherwood of Royal Oak (5:30) and Audrey Martinuzzi of Redford (7:15) were the male and female winners of the one-mile run. MR