It’s that time of the month again (no, not that one): it’s time to pick our Manc of the Month for November and while there were plenty to pick from, one man has stood out in the past few weeks.
Kevin Sinfield is the ex-rugby player turned coach, ultra-marathon-runner and mega-fundraiser from our very own Oldham who did something truly amazing earlier this month.
The 42-year-old former loose forward, who currently serves as a defensive coach for the Leicester Tigers in the rugby union, has gone from a Manc-born sporting role model to a national hero thanks to his extremely admirable charity work over the past couple of years.
This bloke is a machine.
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Sinfield receiving a standing ovation at Old Trafford (Credit: Man United via Twitter)
Seven ultra-marathons in seven days
For anyone unaware of Sinfield’s latest exploits, the former Leeds Rhinos player and director undertook the immense ‘Ultra 7 in 7‘ challenge earlier this month, tasking himself with the ridiculous feat of running seven ultra-marathons in seven days.
To put that into context, a standard marathon measures just over 26 miles or 42 kilometres; ultra marathons regularly clock in at 50km or more. Sinfield is said to have covered more than 256 miles (approx. 417km), averaging more than 60km a day. Insane.
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Finishing the series of ultra-marathons alongside his dedicated team of runners on November 19 at Old Trafford, just in time for the 2022 Rugby League World Cup final, he was met with rapturous applause from the crowd — and rightly so.
The ex-Rhinos and England international set himself the target of raising £777,777 for Motor Neurone Disease in honour of his former teammate and equally inspiring close friend, Rob Burrow. He went on to absolutely smash that goal, amassing an incredible £1.4 million in donations in just a week.
A true MND Champion
To make things even more staggering, this is actually the second time he has completed the Ultra 7 in 7, having done the same back in 2020 and raising a whopping grand total of £2.7m.
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Moreover, just last year he put himself through similarly unimaginable levels of strain by running a 24-hour marathon for the first time, raising over £1m for MND in November 2021 alone.
Covering more than double the distance he managed the last time around, raising a total of over £2.3m across his two 7 in 7 ultra runs, it cannot be understated how much he has done for more than five different motor neurone disease charities in just a few short years.
Even before his latest heroics, Sinfield’s contributions to motor neurone awareness and fundraising were recognised by the local ouncil alongside record-breaking rower and Oldham native, Frank Rothwell, who were both bestowed with the little-known ‘Freedom of the Borough’ award back in March.
As for this year’s ultra-marathon challenge, his route saw him trek all the way from Edinburgh, through various parts of Yorkshire and, finally, back down to his home county of Greater Manchester. Not even bathroom breaks could stop him.
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Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield (Credit: Sky Sports/MNDA)
Compelled to run and raise as much as possible to support the MND community and honour Burrow, who was diagnosed with the disease back in 2019, Sinfield has made it his mission to help raise awareness and fund research into the rare condition which affects the brain and nervous system.
Joined by peers like footballer Stephen Darby as well as late rugby union colleague and fellow MND suffer Doddie Weir, who sadly passed away just last week, these and many more who supported Sinfield’s campaign have done untold levels of good when it comes to highlighting the disease.
Since beginning his fundraising journey in 2019, Kevin Sinfield has now raised over £7 million for the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MNDA) and related charities through his ultra-marathons and other charitable efforts, a miraculous and potentially fortune-changing amount that could save countless lives.
This absolute hero has already helped raise in excess of £2.6m all told with this year’s Ultra 7 in 7 alone, but if you want to join the millions of people still donating then you can do so HERE.
Hats off to our Manc of the Month, Kevin Sinfield — you’re a legend.
Featured Image — Wikimedia Commons/Hull FC/Leicester Tigers
Feature
Inside Manchester’s pro-am padel tournament where the sport shone bigger than the celebs
Harry Quick
We jumped on the court with Olympians, Footballers and TV celebrities to play the racquet sport that is sweeping the globe: let’s take a look inside the first pro-am padel tournament to ever take place in Manchester.
A host of famous faces gathered at Manchester’s newest state-of-the-art padel club, Pure Padel Manchester, for the fourth and final leg of the Pro-Am Padel Tour.
Whether it’s on social media, your mates in the office or your dad finding something as a substitute for the golf course, it seems like everywhere you look someone is telling you about the game of padel they have just had.
Countless sports personalities are getting involved which only highlights its ever-growing popularity and let me tell you, it’s clear to see why.
Household names from the world of sport and entertainment, including Olympic gold medal swimmer Adam Peaty and ex-footballers Phil Jones and Jill Scott were partnered up with top-level professionals to compete in a round-robin style tournament.
It’s fair to say even multiple gold medalists and Premier League winners had their competitive streak unleashed with this one and I’m going to say it… Peaty is definitely better in the water!
From the world of sport, we also saw former England and Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott, Olympic swimmer Matt Richards and Man United great Katie Zelem – who achieved MVP on the day despite having only played once or twice before. Well in Katie!
Taking to the court from the screen we had Coronation Street star Adam Thomas, actor and I’m a Celeb runner-up Owen Warner and Sky Sports presenter Kyle Walker.
If you are not familiar with the sport or you have been living under a rock for the past 12 months, Padel is essentially a combination of tennis and squash – but a lot easier to pick up for a first-timer.
Brushing shoulders – and racquets – with some stars at the first-ever pro-am padel event in Manchester. (Credit: The Manc Group)
It is widely considered the world’s fastest-growing sport with 30 million players enjoying the technical and social game from more than 100 countries, and is on a fast upward trajectory in the UK.
Although originating in Acapulco, Mexico in the late 60’s, it swiftly made its way over the Atlantic when Prince Alfonso of Spain built two padel courts in Marbella and the Spaniards took to it like a fish to water.
With over 4 million players from Spain, the Iberian Peninsula is considered the home of the sport but with facilities like this popping up in town, Great Britain is becoming a padel force to be reckoned with.
Pure Padel‘s indoor arena protected us from the wintery Manchester conditions for a full afternoon of non-stop action alongside a DJ throughout and some quality street food to help refuel.
One main takeaway from the day is that this is a sport that can be enjoyed by anyone regardless of age or ability. Yes, there is no denying that the professionals are different gravy and I’m sure I saw some of them give the celebs the runaround with one hand in their pocket.
Pure Padel Manchester is a great facility, by the way – no wonder the Pro-Am Tour chose it. (Credit: The Manc Group)
A few were trying the game for the very first time, so a few misplaced drop shots, nervy second serves and ‘name in the headlines’ smashes were always to be expected. As the day progressed, you could see the development in each one of the celebrities thanks to their professional partners.
Jill Scott said “It was an honour to take to the court with the pros but it’s made me realise I need a lot more practice. If you practice, you will see a big improvement quickly. It’s easy to get the bug for it.”
Whilst three-time gold medalist Adam Peaty added, “I enjoy how Padel brings out my frustration. It’s a very technical sport but it’s always fun. I’m still learning but really enjoying it.”
Although practice makes perfect, I’m not sure he’ll be swapping the goggles for a racquet any time soon. To sum it all up, the biggest takeaway from the entire experience was that it wasn’t the collective celeb presence that shone: it was was the sport itself and how big a boom it is truly enjoying.
If you fancy giving it a go for yourselves, Pure Padel Manchester over on Cheetham Hill is open to the public right now – you can find out how to book yourself HERE.
Ravyn Lenae at Gorilla Manchester – Our ‘One Wish’ was granted
Thomas Melia
This was Ravyn Lenae’s first rodeo at Gorilla and it’s safe to say she had the Manchester crowd hooked on her live set like ‘Candy’ (sorry).
Only two lines in and three puns deep but Ravyn’s performance was nothing to joke about, especially with her to-die-for vocals and killer live accompaniment.
Her most recent album and tour are both branded, Birds Eye, and while Gorilla may not be the most panoramic place in our beautiful city to overlook the Manchester skyline, the bubbly and engaging crowd sure painted a pretty well-rounded picture of the Mancunian hospitality.
The introduction to ‘Bad Idea’ feels like a spaceship descending to earth and it couldn’t be more fitting because let’s face it, an artist this good simply can’t be living on the same planet as us she’s simply out-of-this-world.
Similarly, the follow-up ‘1 of 1’ has an identical space-tech vibe with a static-filled opening and instrumental making it a perfect predecessor. These two tunes have impressive soundscapes with the live drums even more so helping to excite a sold-out venue.
Ravyn Lenae wasn’t shy on stage, commanding the Gorilla stage.Lenae appreciating the roars of the Manchester crowd.Credit: Audio North/The Manc Group
Seven tracks into the setlist, Lenae knows how to keep Gorilla at her fingertips performing hits ‘M.I.A’, ‘The Night Song’ and ‘Candy’ back-to-back-to-back – easily the holy trinity of track runs on this tour.
Taken from her debut outing Hypnos, the afrobeats and lo-fi inspired ‘M.I.A’ doubles as a dancefloor filler and an instant crowd pleaser, ironically we were lost in the music.
The middle of this three-track-run ‘The Night Song’ keeps spirits high and boosts our confidence as the 25-year-old has us singing, “Hair down, feeling alright/ Got my edges on tight, It’s a party tonight”.
Her sweet-named album track ‘Candy’ jet sets us to a tropical paradise with its reggae-fused rhythms, and after a full ten minutes of side-stepping and attempting to dance, the cold temperature outside didn’t even cross the crowd’s mind.
Besides being some of her best numbers, these three upbeat tunes take us through a small piece of her past three projects with each of the singles featuring on a different respective release from 2018 all the way up to present day.
Nothing but love from Ravyn Lenae and her crew for the Mancs.Lost in music, Lenae and band at Gorilla, Manchester.Credit: The Manc Group
Steve Lacy produced ‘Sticky’ was another standout, her rocker chic-esque vocal style flaunts all over the live band’s arrangement as she flaunts, ‘What did you do?/ Got me confused’.
‘One Wish’ was ethereal; I may have an unfair bias with this single being my personal favourite in the American star’s discography, but the vocal delivery and Lenae’s characterisation elevated this to new heights – even better than its original studio recording, maybe.
Manchester never misses the chance for an encore, especially not when it’s the plucky guitar bop ‘Love Me Not’. Up there with one of her best.
The crowd erupted as Lenae asked, “You want one more?”, before whistling, “See right now I need you, I’ll meet you somewhere now”, it was obvious concertgoers wanted this show wasn’t done.
The Manchester date marks the final show of the whole tour and Lenae was feeling very reflective during song breaks, telling the buzzy crowd, “I’m so grateful that I still get to tour this part of the world and I appreciate you all braving the cold for me”.
When you’re getting to witness someone as remarkable as Chicago-born singer Ravyn Lenae, a little bit of nippy Manchester weather is nothing!
Danny Jones -
30th November 2022 
