Kevin Sinfield has completed the mammoth task of running seven marathons in seven days and has raised over £1.9 million for research into Motor Neurone Disease in the process.
The Oldham-born former professional rugby player – who captained Leeds Rhinos in the Super League for 18 years from 1997 – 2015, and now acts as the club’s Director of Rugby since 2018 – was inspired to take on the challenge for his close friend, and long-time Leeds Rhinos teammate, Rob Burrow, who is suffering with MND having been diagnosed last year.
The disease is currently incurable and so, in the hopes of contributing to a breakthrough in research, Kevin – nicknamed “Sir Kev” – set out on Tuesday 1st December for his first marathon.
After seven gruelling days, he finally completed the challenge Monday morning.
The initial fundraising target was set at £77,777 – a nod to the number seven shirt that Burrow wore for Leeds during his 17-year rugby league career – but once word got out, donations soon came flooding in from all across the country to see the official JustGiving page pass the £1 million mark as he crossed the finish like in Saddleworth.
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And it’s continued to rise ever since.
👊 Kevin Sinfield's final marathon has just come to an end.
📅 Seven days 🏃 Seven marathons 🛣️ 183.4 miles of running 👏 Over £1.1m raised for @Rob7Burrow and @mndassoc
We cannot thank you enough Kevin 💙 he's raised a million £ running 7 marathons in 7 days in honour of his best friend @Rob7Burrow and the MND Association.
“It’s unbelievable and I’m so happy we got it done. After the first day I did worry we’d bitten off more than we could chew, but the donations and the support just fuelled us.”
After getting up in the early hours of the morning to run in snow, sleet, wind and darkness, it was all made worth it by the donations and well-wishes he and his support team received along his way. He added: “My wife asked me if someone offered to double it would you do it again? And in an instant I said: ‘Yeah, absolutely,”
“I’m busted and broken now, but it’s what mates do: they look after each other.
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“The group, our team, have been such a special group. We are just six mates trying to make money for Rob and, without being able to go away because of COVID, this has been our holiday. The camaraderie has been unreal. We’ll miss waking up tomorrow to get ready to go again, and in a couple of years we’ll look back with a great deal of pride.”
Rob Burrow and his family were waiting for Sinfield at Headingley Stadium in Leeds on Saturday as he completed the fifth of his marathons, in an incredible time of three hours and 43 minutes.
Sinfield said that seeing his friend was almost too much for him to deal with at the time.
“When I ran into Headingley and I saw him, I didn’t stop straight away because I would have been a mess. I had a minute to gather myself but for him to be here was really, really special.” he said.
Burrow also sent a message to his pal ahead of the final marathon on Monday, saying: “You continue to inspire me and make me never want to give in. Like you I will take one step at a time, and maybe there isn’t a finish line for me but I will keep on going.
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“One more mate, I know you will do it. Good luck friend, I’m with you every step.
“Everyone needs a friend like Kev.”
"I'm overwhelmed… just so happy that we got it done"
Kevin Sinfield, Leeds Rhinos Director of Rugby, completes seven marathons in seven days
2027 Manchester Marathon sells out in record time after biggest event ever
Danny Jones
The 2027 adidas Manchester Marathon has already sold out in record time after the biggest event in the race’s history.
Incredible stuff.
Yes, after more than 42,000 runners took on this year’s 26.2-mile challenge – the highest number to date – public places for next year’s Manchester Marathon have gone in the blink of an eye.
To be specific, they were snapped up in just 10 days: even faster than the last time around, with 2026 having also broken the previous fastest (or PB, if you will) time before that.
Posting on social media, the organisers wrote: “We’re blown away by the response as a record-breaking number of public places were secured during our launch window, and we’re now officially at capacity.
“Thank you for the amazing support. We can’t wait to help you turn your 26.2 dreams into reality.”
They also went on to remind people that even if they missed out, potential participants can still secure a place through their official charity partners.
Manchester Marathon maintains annual partnerships with the likes of Alzheimer’s Society, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Mind, and The Christie Charity.
Teaming up with numerous non-profit organisations over the decades after it first began way back in 1908, before enjoying multiple stints during the 1980s and late 90s into the noughties, huge sums have been raised over the years.
It’s never anything less than a heartwarming and inspiring day.
The modern MCR Marathon, as we know it, returned in its present format nearly a decade and a half ago, beginning its current collaboration with sportswear giants adidas, therefore helping raise the profile even further, with the 2026 fundraising tally also reaching a record-breaking £5.2 million this past April.
At the moment, the Manchester Marathon maintains annual partnerships with the likes of Alzheimer’s Society, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Mind, and The Christie Charity.
Once again, these organisations, along with the likes of the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity and many more, will continue to offer charity places for the 2027 Manchester Marathon, provided you can hit the fundraising total.
We don’t know about you, but we’re loving this city and the surrounding boroughs being well and truly in their running era, and we also urge all of you who make up part of the local culture to immerse yourself in all aspects – especially when it comes to the post-race season party…
DJs, karaoke, quizzing, three full rooms, an entire beer garden to themselves, and MUCH more. 👀
Manchester City ‘strongly condemn’ racist abuse towards first-team players at Everton
Danny Jones
Manchester City Football Club have released a statement following yet more troubling racist abuse in the Premier League this May bank holiday.
Pep Guardiola’s side faced Everton in a fixture that ended in a 3-3 draw, which could prove pivotal in their pursuit of leaders Arsenal.
Sadly, however, one of the main stories to be taken from the game once again revolves around abuse and discrimination.
Match officials were quickly made aware of racial remarks directed at winger Antoine Semenyo on the day, and, unfortunately, defender Marc Guehi has also been the subject of hateful messaging online in the aftermath of the result.
Sharing a short, but simple and emphatic statement, the club wrote: “Manchester City strongly condemns the racist abuse directed towards Antoine Semenyo at yesterday’s match.
“We welcome the swift action taken by Everton and the police to identify the individual responsible.
“We are also incredibly disappointed to hear that Marc Guéhi was subject to a series of vile racist social media posts last night.”
They go on to add that they will “continue to offer our full support to both Antoine and Marc and never accept discrimination of any kind in our game.”
Everton themselves have since confirmed that local authorities swiftly identified at least one individual alleged to be responsible for the unacceptable behaviour.
As mentioned in their own post, the culprit is said to have been a 71-year-old man who was quickly flagged by fans and stewards inside the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
While this may be the first incident reported at the Toffees’ new home ground, regrettably, it’s just the latest in a long line of similar cases raised not just in English football but the top flight, specifically.
It goes without saying that we’re sorry to hear that stuff like this is still happening, and we send our strength to all those who continue to be affected by this despicable treatment.
As ever, ‘the beautiful game’ is for everyone and racism has no place in society, let alone football – kick it out once and for all. In other news surrounding Man City, there’s also been some controversy surrounding their upcoming FA Youth Cup final.
Emily Sergeant -
8th December 2020 
