DETROIT (4/20) - Nicole Blake of Sterling Heights ran her fastest 5K ever at the 11th annual Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation Detroit Race For The Cure. That might not sound earthshaking considering she is just 17 years old. But when you also consider that Blake's 18:17 made her the youngest winner ever of this immense race, you might feel a tremor beneath your feet.

The Race For The Cure, which raises funds to fight breast cancer, started under cloudy skies with the temperature in the 40's. About 25,000 runners and walkers lined up for the 5K and 1-mile start on Woodward Avenue in front of Comerica Park.

Rachel Graybill, 32, of Troy, led the women's 5K for the first mile. Midway through mile two, Blake grabbed the lead and opened a small gap. As the race returned to the ballpark over the final quarter-mile, Graybill tried to catch Blake.

"If I had another 100 yards, I might have caught her," said Graybill, who finished in 18:22. "But it's 3.1, not 3.2 miles. She (Blake) ran very smooth and strong."

Susan Barrows, 16, of Farmington Hills, was third in 18:32. Nancy Cassell, 51 of Northville, was women's masters winner in 19:38. Judy Pickett, 38, of Cameron Park, CA, captured the breast-cancer "Survivor" division in 20:01. Blake, a Stevenson High School junior, entered the 5K with roughly 16 of her teammates. Among them, Mollie Harms, 16, placed sixth in 19:20. "I really liked the course," Harms said. "There were bands playing and people singing alongside the road."

Race officials changed this year's course so that it was run almost entirely on Woodward. Men's winner Eric Larson loved it. "People were cheering for you every step of the way," said Larson. "Being a straight shot out and back, it was one of the fastest 5K's I've ever run." Larson, 31, of Fenton, finished in 16:32. Dave Peterson, 35, of Farmington, came in second in 16:39. Third-place Thomas Yates, 40, of New Boston, brought home the men's master's title in 16:54. "(Peterson) led most of the race," said Larson. "He started to fade with about a quarter-mile to go. I passed with about 200 yards left. He told me afterward that his legs were blitzed from running the Boston Marathon five days earlier." Ford Motor Co. had the largest corporate team, with more than 4,100 workers participating. Birmingham Community Schools was the top community contingent, with better than 500 entries. Nan's Fans, running in memory of Nancy Tebelman, had the largest "family team" with more than 150 participants. The Race For The Cure, which holds 114 events across the country, is presented nationally by Yoplait and locally by the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute. For complete race results, sign on to www.motorcitystriders.com.