Sir Kevin Sinfield has said he "kept my promise" to Rob Burrow after raising around £13 million for motor neurone disease (MND) charities through his ultramarathon challenges. The latest venture, the 'Grand Finale', raised £1.6 million this week, with the total still rising.
Emotional week of seven ultramarathons
The 46-year-old admitted it had been a "big emotional week" meeting patients with MND as he completed seven ultramarathons in seven days. The challenge ended with a trip to Old Trafford to watch his son Jack, 22, lift the Super League Trophy for Wakefield Trinity, a feat the team had not managed in 58 years.
Asked if he wanted to put himself through the hardest of challenges to understand how MND patients must feel, Sinfield said: "My initial answer is yes, but I know that I cannot put myself in the shoes of someone with MND.
"I cannot get my head around what they go through, I saw it with Rob and his family and how inspirational they were. But I do agree that we try to make the challenges really tough and some suffering takes place. In my own way, I try to take away some of the suffering from the families. If we want people to donate, then the running is really important, because people need something to donate for."
Promise made in 2019
Looking back on the past six years and his latest feat, he said: "It has been a big emotional week on top of the running. I am looking forward to catching up on sleep and getting myself back together. It is our seventh annual challenge.
"Rob was diagnosed back in 2019, and we made a promise that we would raise some money for him by Christmas morning 2020. As everyone can remember back in 2020, we were going through Covid and charity events stopped. But I wanted to fulfill a promise.
"So in September, I came up with a plan for the first of these challenges, and we got it signed off. We ran it like a professional sports team. Everyone got together and supported us, we had a wonderful week together, trying to provide hope for the MND community. That was the start. And we raised £2.8m."
Covering the North and supporting families
He said that this time they covered the North, stopping at the stadia of all 12 of the English Superleague teams, from Hull to St Helens then onto Old Trafford. He added: "During the week, we hit every English Superleague team and the support has been absolutely awesome.
"The money is crucial because it enables our researchers and scientists to try and find a cure. But it also enables us to help the families, some of the adaptations they need at home and the care, they cost money. It is also about raising awareness, there has been a shame attached to the MND community. People did not understand but they do now."
Sinfield, who played his entire professional career with Leeds Rhinos, is one of the most successful players in Super League history. He and Burrow met at the Leeds Rhinos academy aged 14 and 12. They went on to win seven titles together with Leeds Rhinos.
Tributes from Burrow's wife
Burrow's wife, Lindsey Burrow, told BBC Radio 4 that her late husband "would have been incredibly proud" of his friend. She said: "It's bittersweet that Rob's not here today to see Kevin finish his final challenge but Rob will be with us in spirit and it's just testimony to Kevin that he's so humbled to do this not just for Rob but for the whole MND community."
"It's just incredible. I am in complete awe of the efforts of Kevin and his team over the last seven days, and not just over the last seven days but over the last seven years," she added. Jack lined up in the Wakefield side and helped them clinch their first top-flight title since 1968.
