Kevin Sinfield bursts into tears after completing heroic ultramarathon challenge

07 December 2023 , 16:18

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An emotional Kevin Sinfield burst into tears as he completed the final leg of his ultramarathon charity challenge.

After an exhausting 190.4 miles run over seven days - Kevin broke down and hugged his team at the finish line on The Mall, before exclaiming: “I’m knackered and delighted.”

He jogged home to huge applause after completing the final leg of his mammoth task - all done to raise money for those affected by motor neurone disease (MND).

He said to the gathered crowds: “Hello London! Thank you for coming out. We’re all pretty shot, we’re all pretty tired but seeing so many faces along the route it was a massive lift for us all. We all know why we are here and we hope we’ve sent the right message out.

“The MND community is a beautiful community and it needs all of us to keep fighting. The awareness we’ve generated this week has been enormous and in Rob’s name.

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He stressed the importance of fundraising and said he believed it would ultimately lead to a cure for the disease. Sinfield added: "Fundraising is so important, we tried to push this morning how important the money is because that’s the thing that’s going to shift the dial, find a cure and make sure families are looked after properly. If you leave with one thought I’d like to say have a great Christmas but also spare a thought for those less fortunate."

The ex-Leeds Rhino player ran from Twickenham Stadium to the Mall to cap off his 7 in 7 in 7 Challenge, which has seen him run an ultra-marathon every day for seven days in seven cities.

He has raised millions for charity since his former teammate Rob Burrow was diagnosed with MND in 2019. The challenge began on December 1 at Headingley Rugby Stadium in Leeds with the team running to York Minster.

Kevin Sinfield passes through Piccadilly Circus on day seven of the 7 in 7 in 7 Challenge in London

Sinfield has raised millions for research into MND

They then moved on to Cardiff, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Dublin and Brighton. Each run consists of a full marathon with one added mile to signify the extra mile people could all go to help their friends in tough times.

Speaking ahead of the last leg, Sinfield said: "It has absolutely chucked it down and been freezing and windy, then we come to Brighton and get the sunshine and blue skies. We are really happy to be here and will give it our best shot," Sinfield said before setting off.

"We know what we are doing here. We are representing the beautiful community, trying to raise some awareness and funds to try and fund a cure, but we are also trying to change how people feel about the MND community and how people feel about each other.

"It is not about running marathons, I know our team are doing it today, it is about trying to find a little bit where you can help somebody. If you can do that in the run up to Christmas, then we've done our job."

Kevin Sinfield paid tribute to those who have already donated to the cause

An emotional Sinfield at the finish line

He continued: "What we have done the last few years as a team has been about raising awareness and funds for this beautiful community.

"But what I would say to you all is you do not have to run marathons, just do your little bit, just help in some way. There is always someone a lot worse off than you who needs our help, so let's keep fighting together."

Before the final run Burrow had a special message for his friend. “There is so much love and encouragement out there for him, I wouldn’t be surprised if they opened the gates to Buckingham Palace for him so he can put his feet up for a bit,” he said.