Denis Reid to run 200km in 48 hours, Merimbula to Jindabyne, to raise money for MS

It means the 67-year-old can have time to himself, away from the 24-hour-a-day care he dutifully provides his wife, Annette, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis.

Mr Reid plans to run non-stop from Merimbula to Jindabyne in less than 48 hours, beginning on October 31. He has set the time limit so he can return home to care for Mrs Reid, who will not accept respite.

As well as giving him time to himself, Mr Reid will be raising money for the MS Society, who provide support to those suffering from the "dreadful" disease.

He recalled his first running experience, just seven years ago, as life-changing. He was encouraged by cadets at ADFA and Duntroon, who he became close with when working as their driver.

"I was 60 [years old] and 115 kilos, but I appreciated the effort they put on me to run the City to Surf in 2009," Mr Reid said.

"I think they could see the black dog coming up in me. I realised I could do two things with running, I could raise money for MS, and be stress-free for a time."

While at the time he said his wife's MS was not too bad, it's been more recently that running has become his oasis.

With tears in his eyes, he talks about the stress and hard work of looking after Mrs Reid full-time. The worry lines etched on his face tell of a hard 15 months since she last left the house.

"It's sad to see someone that was so independent – meticulously clean and tidy, loved her work and gave 100 per cent – to end up now where she relies on me for everything," Mr Reid said.

He said he's been struggling trying to convince Mrs Reid to move into a nursing home to get the care she needs.

"Running has been a way for me to cope with this ongoing problem. When I run I think about people who are worse off than me, and I pull up a little bit better."

To donate to Denis Reid's fundraising for the MS Society, visit my-personal-challenge.everydayhero.com/au/denis-reid-running-man