Man pushes cousin 42km in Melbourne Marathon, carries him over line

For Nick Morrison, the 42.2 kilometres of the Melbourne Marathon were more gruelling than for most of his 20,000 fellow competitors: He was pushing his 21-year-old cousin, Toby Holt.

"It's so big for my family and I to be able to do this," Mr Morison said.

Mr Holt, from Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, was diagnosed four years ago with juvenile Huntington's disease (JHD), a rare hereditary neurodegenerative disorder with no cure.

He uses a wheelchair as the disease affects his speech and movement.

Mr Holt told the ABC he was excited about being part of the marathon and was surprised when Mr Morrison, from Brisbane, offered.

"That's crazy," Mr Holt said.

Making every moment count

Mr Holt's mother, Louise Holt, said she became emotional when her nephew, Mr Morrison, called to ask whether she thought it would be a good idea to take her son on the trek.

"I had no words at the time, marathons aren't easy things to do, let alone pushing Toby," Mrs Holt said.

Since Mr Holt's diagnosis, his family and community have been rallying around him to bring him once-in-a-lifetime experiences including a trip to the United states, one to New Zealand for extreme sports, skydiving, and now a marathon.

When asked whether he had any more adventures in the near future, Mr Holt said: "No, because I have done all the crazy things I could do."

"He's a thrillseeker, he'll get in and do anything," Mrs Holt said.

"It's just amazing … the man he is, he's accepted this in his everyday life and never complained."

Mrs Holt said watching how her son has navigated his diagnosis has been moving, because her husband also has Huntington's disease.

"The hard thing is for my husband because he's diagnosed as well," she said.

Crossing the finish line

Mr Morrison said he decided to take Toby out of his wheelchair just before the finish line.

"We stopped just shy of the line, and I've helped Toby out of the chair and carried him over the finish line.

"So we could cross it together and he could walk over the finish line himself."

Mr Morrison saw his desire to do a marathon as a great opportunity to not only share the moment with his cousin, but to give better public exposure for the disease and raise funds for research.

They have raised more than $4,000 for Huntington's Australia, the peak national body providing support and services to people and their families living with Huntington's disease.

"And do something that my family and Tobes will never forget," he said.

Before he flew from Brisbane to Melbourne to run his cousin around the track, Mr Morrison said he found good support in addition to a running coach.

"One of my close mates has a disabled brother and their family friend ended up doing a marathon with him," he said.

"I've been using their pram and pushing her brother for a few runs."

Mr Morrison said while he was responsible for the physical exertion required to get the boys over the line and into some "cheeky beers", his cousin was the inspiration in his life.

"To be able to do this with him and make the most of his life and mine — I'm extremely grateful," he said.