PENN TWP — Gary Boyd has never won the Pittsburgh Great Race.

The Penn Township resident finds victory in the annual event regardless.

Boyd, 63, is one of 26 “Perfect Great Racers” who have competed in all 34 of the 10K running events. The 35th annual Pittsburgh Great Race through the city streets is slated for Sunday.

More than 250,000 individuals have taken part in this event, founded in 1977 by the late major of Pittsburgh, Richard S. Caliguiri.

“It’s not just a race to me, it’s a celebration of another year of life,” Boyd said. “I’ll keep participating in this event as long as I can.”

Boyd was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2003 and underwent chemotherapy during the summer of 2005.

“I didn’t experience negative effects from the chemo and was able to make the race that year,” he said.

He has check-ups every six months and is cancer-free at present.

When he signed up for the first Pittsburgh Great Race, Boyd ran regularly and “took part in every road race around.”

He jogs three days a week now, does some walking and hiking — and competes solely in the Pittsburgh Great Race.

“Other family members have participated with me through the years,” Boyd said. “I have extreme joy in seeing my grandchildren participate now. They just did the junior race.

“I hope my participation will help encourage others struggling through their battles with cancer and its treatment ... Life can return.”

Boyd’s goals have changed with time. When he first signed up for the race, he wanted to break the 40-minute mark.

Now he’s crossing the finish line with a time between 50 and 55 minutes.

“At this point in my life, it’s only important to me to finish the race,” Boyd said.

“The 26 of us who have run them all, there’s kind of a joke among us now ... Who’s going to be the last man standing?”

During the past 34 Great Races, these 26 individuals have run a combined distance of 5,480.8 miles. That breaks down to an average of 210.8 miles per man.

“These extraordinary men ... They’ve been with us since the very first year, way back when race organizers used numbered Popsicle sticks to determine the order of finish,” race director Mike Radley said in a released statement. “They’ve witnessed many changes over the years, including the introduction of the electronic timing device and online registration.”

Boyd’s streak nearly ended before it got started.

“Our twins were born on Labor Day in 1978,” he said. “With the sudden changes in family, I nearly missed the first Great Race. But we were able to work it out.”

Now Boyd is running with his twin 3-year-old grandsons.

A former employee at Western Penitentiary in Pittsburgh, Boyd spent another six years working in the Pennsylvania probation/parole department before retiring.

He only knows one of the other 25 “Perfect Great Racers” personally — Frank Nedwidek of Bellevue.

“I worked with Frank for a few years at Western Penitentiary and never knew he was a runner,” Boyd said. “I did some running with some guys from work, but he was not among them.

“We bumped into each other at a Great Race gathering one time. Neither one of us knew the other one was doing this.”

Plenty will know of the 26 “Perfect Great Racers” now.

An exhibit paying tribute to the Perfect Great Racers and the Caliguiri family is located in the grand lobby of the City-County Building at 414 Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh.