Kevin Sinfield to take toughest marathon challenge yet for Rob Burrow and MND
Kevin Sinfield says he’ll be ready for his toughest challenge yet as he pulls on the running shoes again to once more help big mate Rob Burrow and MND.
A year ago, the Leeds Rhinos legend and his team completed his third challenge when they ran from Edinburgh to Manchester, covering over 40 miles a day for seven days. Now, the England rugby union defensive coach - fresh from almost taking the Red Rose to a World Cup final - will hit the streets again.
Since 2020, Sinfield and his team have raised more than £8m with three endurance events that have captured the public’s imagination having been inspired by his former Rhinos team-mate Burrow who suffers from the awful condition.
The fourth and latest fundraiser will combine elements from the three previous challenges. The 7 in 7 in 7 Challenge will see Sinfield and his team run an ultra marathon every day for seven days in seven cities around Great Britain and Ireland. Each run will be a marathon with an extra mile to signify the extra mile people can all go to help their friends in tough times.
The extra mile event each day will see invited guests join Sinfield for one mile. The aim is to complete each day's run in under four hours. The ex-England captain, 43, said: “Here we go again! I did say last year that the Ultra 7 in 7 would complete the trilogy.
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“But there was always that caveat that Rocky 4 was my favourite Rocky film. The MND community have always given us incredible support and we wanted to find a way that we could show that support for more people around the country. I would especially like to thank all the local authorities and councils who have given us their support. It means so much to everyone.
Kevin Sinfield (r) meets Rob Burrow at the finish line after completing his Extra Mile Challenge of 101 miles in 24 hours at Headingley in 2021 (Allan McKenzie/SWpix.com)“Physically this will be my toughest challenge as I have not been able to do the amount of training that I have done previously because of my commitments for the World Cup. And we have set an ambitious time target to complete each ultra so people know that we will be pushing ourselves to the limit.
"I am looking forward to it and seeing all the support out on the streets once again. For the MND community, every second counts and we will be making the most of every step on this challenge to raise awareness, funds and support for that community.”
Former England and Leeds Rhinos rugby league player Rob Burrow MBE with his wife Lindsey, at their home in Pontefract, Yorkshire. (Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)Starting on Friday December 1, three years to the day since Sinfield started his first 7 In 7 challenge, the team will leave AMT Headingley Rugby Stadium heading to York Minister in the first leg of the challenge. On Day Two, the team will travel to Cardiff, finishing on the pitch at half-time of the United Rugby Championship game between Cardiff and Scarlets at The Arms Park. Sunday December 3 start at the Alexandra Stadium in Birmingham, the host of the 2022 Commonwealth Games before travelling around Birmingham, calling at St Andrews, Villa Park and Edgbaston en route to a finish in the city centre.
Next, the team will head across the border to Edinburgh, crossing the Forth Road Bridge before finishing at Scottish Gas Murrayfield. This will be a poignant moment as not only will it mark the halfway point of the challenge but also evoke memories of seeing Doddie Weir for the last time a year ago as he set Sinfield and the team off at the start of the Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge. The team head across the Irish Sea on December 5 to run in Dublin inspired by former Munster rugby union coach Paul Darbyshire, who played rugby league with Warrington and passed away from MND in 2011 when he was just 41.
Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield (left) ahead of the 2023 Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon starting and finishing at Headingley Stadium, Leeds (PA)The team will work with the Irish MNDA for the first time following on from the incredible work done by legendary RTE broadcaster Charlie Bird who raised over €3m for charity with his Climb with Charlie following his own MND diagnosis. On December 6, Sinfield heads to the South coast of England to Brighton before concluding the challenge on Thursday December 7 running from Twickenham Stadium to the Mall, the traditional finish of the world famous London Marathon. The team are inspired by MND sporting warriors Burrow, Ed Slater, Marcus Stewart, Stephen Darby, the late Weir and the 5,000 other people living with MND, in the UK right now.
The initial target is to raise £777,777 from the challenge. Supporters can show their support now at or people can text Kevin10 to 70143 to donate £10 or Kevin20 to the same number to donate £20.
The 7 in 7 in 7 Challenge will support five charities which support and care for people affected by MND and their families, and invest in research to bring us closer to effective treatments and a cure for the disease. The main beneficiaries will be the MND Association and Leeds Hospitals Charity’s appeal to build the Rob Burrow Centre for MND in Leeds. However, there will also be donations to My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, the Irish MND Association and the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation plus support for the 4ED campaign to support former Gloucester and Leicester Rugby Union player Ed Slater.
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