Leeds Rhinos great ran back to his old Headingley ground from Leicester; Sinfield was raising money to build a new care home in the name of former team-mate and great friend Rob Burrow, who has motor neurone disease
Tuesday 23 November 2021 17:45, UK
Former Leeds captain Kevin Sinfield raised over £1million for charity after completing a 101-mile run in 24 hours.
Around 1,000 supporters were at his old ground Headingley to witness the completion of the run, which began in Leicester, where he now works as defence coach with the Tigers.
By Tuesday lunchtime, Sinfield had raised over £1million for the MND Association and the Leeds Hospitals Charity, having initially set a target of £100,000.
The funds will go towards a new care home in the name of Sinfield's former Leeds team-mate and great friend Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in December 2019.
Burrow was at Headingley for the emotional return of Sinfield, who was clearly in discomfort after his gruelling run, the equivalent of almost four marathons completed without sleep.
His journey from Leicester to Leeds was split into 7km sections and each had to be completed inside 60 minutes.
Sinfield told the BBC: "It's been a real team effort from all the crew and I wouldn't have got it done without them.
"I'm broken - I don't know when I'll be able to run again!
"Rob knows how much we love and care about him."
He was accompanied for the last leg by Burrow's wife Lindsey and oldest daughter Macy, and says he was driven on by the presence of his old team-mate.
"It was really tough at times, especially the end, but it's down to my little mate here," he said.
The England international was also accompanied during the run by former team-mates Jamie Peacock, Jamie Jones-Buchanan, Gareth Ellis and Barrie McDermott, along with former Labour party communications chief Alastair Campbell and Leeds triathletes Alistair and Jonny Brownlee.
Burrow's father Geoff, who has been a driving force behind the bid to find a cure for MND, said of Sinfield's run: "It's nothing short of a miracle, really. He's super human.
"I said before this that he's done enough, I think this is the ultimate one. I don't think he should even try anything like this again but who knows with Kevin?
"We've all been part of a big family ever since the famous Leeds team achieved what they achieved. He's like another son to me.
"His mum and dad must be so proud, it's beyond words.
"The money is great but nowhere near as important as Kevin's health. But he's done it, I don't know how."
In December 2020, Sinfield helped raise over £2.7m by running seven marathons in seven days
