Tom Abbott makes it look easy as he runs along Rich Hill Road near his Indiana Township home, his long strides appearing effortless as he glides along the pavement.

At 52, he's lithe and healthy and could pass for a much younger man. He's also one of only 26 runners who have competed in every Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race since it began in 1977.

On Sunday, he'll attempt to continue his tradition.

Mr. Abbott began running while attending the former South Hills High School on Mount Washington when he heard about a meeting for students who were interested in cross-country.

"I thought it was skiing," he said with a laugh.

That meeting changed his life.

He won his first ribbon that year by finishing seventh at a junior varsity meet, and he's been devoted to running ever since.

Mr. Abbott is fueled by a competitive spirit and love for the sport. For 18 years, he's passed on his passion for running as a cross-country coach for Highlands High School in Harrison, where he teaches English.

He has run the Boston Marathon more than 10 times and is compelled to run the Great Race each year. He knew from the beginning that he wanted to be a part of the Great Race.

"It's your hometown race. You have to do it. Then it became somewhat obsessive. I've been very fortunate to not have been hurt," he said.

Last year, Mr. Abbot was dealing with a pulled hamstring, and he has battled a condition called plantar fasciitis, an injury that affects a tendon in the bottom of the foot.

The time he came closest to missing the race was when he had a fever of 102 degrees. When asked if family and friends thought he was crazy to run with the fever, he laughed and said "absolutely." To make things even tougher, the outside temperature reached 85 degrees.

"I didn't know if I was going to make it," he said, "but I went over there anyway."

The first three miles went well. He wasn't running fast and he wasn't going too slowly, then he noticed something unusual.

"I was wondering why everybody was running to the left on the Boulevard of the Allies," he recalled. "It wasn't them running to the left. It was me listing to the right."

He collapsed at the finish line and was treated at Allegheny General Hospital.

"I didn't want to break the streak," he explained. "Runners tend to be in denial when they are competitive. It's a little cold, a little fever, so what?"

Mr. Abbott is proud that he has stayed overnight in a hospital only twice in his life: on the day he was born and when he had his tonsils out.

To keep that record on the day he ran with a fever, he went home after receiving treatment at the hospital.

Mr. Abbott's wife is also a runner. Kittie Abbott won in her age group in last year's 5K Great Race.

The couple had the perfect first date -- for runners.

They didn't know each other too well and were talking on the phone about their love of running.

She made this offer: "Why don't you come over and we'll take a run and the first one to stop buys the other dinner?"

The run began up a long hill and Mr. Abbott heard her from behind say through heavy breaths, "You are a runner."

As they ran, a driver beeped his car horn, rolled down the window and began to talk to her as she ran. Mr. Abbott assumed they would stop.

"As I stood there, she turned around and pointed, saying, 'You owe me dinner.' That was the beginning of our relationship," he said with a laugh.

Mr. Abbott isn't sure how many more years he'll be able to compete in the race, but he plans to run it for a very long time -- "until I feel like I can't compete any more," he said. "The Great Race always motivates me."

The Richard S. Caliguiri City of Pittsburgh Great Race will be held Sunday. Runners can register through Saturday by going to www.RunGreatRace.com or by calling 412-255-2493.