When Bill May leaves his home on East Pearl Street, he mentions there are probably 10 or more different directions to run.

The thought never crosses the 56-year-old Butler resident’s mind to think about starting his car and finding a trail someplace outside of city limits.

There are plenty of places — from Father Marinaro to Alameda Park — for May to get in the physical activity he desires.

When it comes time for the 40th annual Butler Road Race Saturday, the 5-mile event adds some structure to May’s typically varied workouts. When May lines up on Main Street, he will participate in the event for the 38th time.

“I was raised to be physically fit,” May said. “My father always expected two things from my siblings and I: that we exercised and read. I was running for fitness in 1976 and found out they were having a bicentennial run.”

That 10,000-meter run on July 4, 1976 attracted 169 participants. May finished in 138th place with a time of 45 minutes, 24 seconds.

Since then, May has only missed two runnings of the event.

A case of strep throat forced him to withdraw from the event in 1980 and he missed last year’s race to attend his niece’s wedding in California.

May’s best finish in the 10K was 36:42, while his best 5-mile time is 30:03. He’s never placed in the event.

“I’m not a top-flight runner,” said May, who graduated from Butler in 1977 and Westminster College in 1981. “I have won some age group awards, but much to my self-disappointment, I’ve never got a trophy at the Butler race. I always had a wonderful time running. It’s nice winning an award, but I never ran for that reason.”

Running, of the many activities May enjoys, was always his favorite. With the longevity of the Butler Road Race — it’s the oldest such race in Western Pennsylvania — he’s been able to get the next generation involved.

Bill’s sons Kemper, 23, and A.J., 19, will run with him this weekend and have run the road race with him in the past.

Before they were old enough to run, May’s sons had a tradition of watching their dad cross the finish line.

“We would always go to Main Street and watch the finish by Monday’s shoes,” Kemper said.

Much like his father, Bill tried to encourage his kids to stay active.

His focus was on keeping the activities focused more on enjoyment rather than winning

“It helped breed self-discipline,” said Kemper, who is on pace to get a Doctorate in Pharmacy from Duquesne next spring. “When you decide you want to (exercise), it feels like something you should do every day. You enjoy it more if you aren’t forced to do something.”

A.J. plans to try out for the Westminster cross country team this fall. He competed on a cross country team before, but wants to improve his fitness for tennis.

Growing up, there was no focus on one activity. They played whatever was in front of them.

“We played every sport you can pretty much imagine,” said A.J., who plays tennis at Westminster. “You didn’t realize you were exercising. We played kickball and Wiffle ball with all the neighborhood kids.”

Running in the road race is a challenge between the May men.

“We all run separately,” A.J. said. “ It’s kind of like a competition on who will win.”

Family rivalry aside, Bill May is excited BRR president Mike Franko and race founder Rick Davanzati, Sr., gave him an opportunity to compete on familiar turf.

Getting to the race just requires a short walk. It fits his personality perfectly.

“I just love running in my hometown,” Bill May said. “I enjoy seeing old friends that occasionally show up for the race since I’ve been doing it for almost 40 years.”