3 December 2024 News
RUGBY league legend Kevin Sinfield CBE has said that his latest challenge could prove to be his toughest yet as he prepares to travel to Liverpool this weekend for the start of Running Home for Christmas.
Kevin, who is a patron of the MND Association, is running seven ultra marathons in seven regions of the UK in seven days with the aim of raising £777,777 for MND charities in memory of his friend and former teammate Rob Burrow CBE who died from MND in June. The challenge started on Sunday 1 December in Liverpool and ends in Saddleworth on 7 December.
At a press conference on Thursday, Kevin described his training as ‘brutal’ and said that this year’s challenge would be a ‘scrap’ to the finish.
"It never gets any easier, it really doesn’t. The training this time has been brutal, really difficult – I don’t even like running! I’m not a runner, I’m asthmatic and there is always the chance that something will go wrong at some point – you could hit a pothole or catch a pavement.
“But I don’t want sympathy. It has been a very heavy couple of weeks, but I do really enjoy the challenges and I’m passionate about raising money for the MND community."
Kevin explained that Running Home for Christmas combined elements of the previous four challenges with plenty of opportunities built in for him to meet members of the MND community along the route.
"I know why I’m here now. I’m here to help the MND community and to finally realise that at the age of 40 has been very special.
“These challenges have opened my eyes to MND. All over the country there are families going through what the Burrow family has been through and I want to keep trying to help. The money the Government has given is just for research but we need to think about the human side too and keep looking after everybody."
Thoughts of Rob and his family will never be far from Kevin’s mind during this challenge which takes place just six months after his friend’s death.
"I miss his humour, I miss him every day. I’ll miss his texts every evening and it will be emotional.
“But he would want us to continue this fight. He would want us to rip into this challenge with a smile on our faces. He’s at the heart of this and I want to make sure we represent him and his family in the right way."
Looking ahead, Kevin says there are plans to do two more challenges in honour of Rob’s famous number 7 shirt.
"The plan is to do two more after this one. I’d love for us to do seven.
“Then we’ll move onto other ways to fundraise, time to find seven of something else!"
You can donate by visiting Kevin’s Running Home for Christmas page and if you’ve been inspired by Kevin and want to create your own 7 in 7 challenge you’ll find all the information you need to create your challenge here.
Alternatively, you can send donations via text 70143 from your mobile:
Text Kevin or Kevin7 to donate £7
Text Kevin10 to donate £10
Text Kevin20 to donate £20
And to follow Kev’s challenge as it happens don’t forget to follow the MND Association social media pages on Facebook, X and Instagram.