Leeds Rhinos legend Rob Burrow gives positive health update and has say on Kevin Sinfield’s latest challenge

Rugby League legend Kevin Sinfield OBE will lead a team on his toughest challenge yet this November in the third and final leg of his epic challenges to raise awareness and funds for those impacted by Motor Neurone Disease.

His epic challenges in 2020 and 2021 have already raised over £5 million but now he is set to go even further in 2022 on a week long challenge that will celebrate the awareness raised by three inspirational sporting characters who have done so much to raise the profile of those impacted by the season.

Starting on Sunday 13th November, Sinfield will run over 60km per day for seven days from Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh to Old Trafford in Manchester in his Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge.  Inspired by Rob Burrow, Doddie Weir, Stephen Darby and other people living with MND, Kevin Sinfield will have an initial aim is to raise £777,777 from the challenge. Supporters can show their support now at https://donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/kevin-sinfield-ultra-7-in-7-challenge

The Ultra 7 in 7 challenge will support five charities which support people affected by MND, and invest in research to bring us closer to effective treatments and a cure for the disease.  The main beneficiaries will be the MND Association and Leeds Hospitals Charity’s appeal to build the Rob Burrow Centre for MND in Leeds. However, there will also be donations to MND Scotland, My Name’s Doddie Foundation and the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation plus support for the 4ED campaign to support former Gloucester and Leicester Rugby Union player Ed Slater, who was recently diagnosed with MND.

The whole challenge will build to an incredible finish as Sinfield enters the field at Old Trafford at half time in the Mens Rugby League World Cup Final on Saturday 19 November to complete his challenge having visited Melrose, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, York, Leeds and Bradford over the previous six days in his route south.

The challenge was launched on Monday 26th September, Rob Burrow’s 40th birthday and fittingly seven weeks out from the start of the challenge and revealed by BBC Breakfast with Burrow and Sinfield joined by Dodie Weir and Ed Slater who are also battling the disease.

On the programme, Burrow gave a positive health update admitting he didn’t think he would be here today: “A lot has happened since I met the guys for the first time, I could talk and walk but I declined a lot in lockdown but I am now settled down and not gotten any worse for 18 months.

“To be honest I didn’t think I’d be here now.”

He also spoke about how much Sinfield’s latest challenge means to him after seven marathons in seven days and 101 miles in one day in the last few years: “I did not know what Kev’s next crazy challenge would be but I knew it would be the hardest yet. You’ve got to ask what sort of guy would put his body in harm’s way for his little mate. I can only say I love him like family and I know my family do too.”

Commenting on his next challenge, Kevin Sinfield said, “Undoubtedly this will be the toughest challenge yet. We have tried to combine elements of our two previous events to create the Ultra 7 in 7. People living with MND have no choice but to live with their condition every day and they are inspiration for all of us taking part in the challenge. There has been some exciting news in recent days about current drug trials and we can all feel that a breakthrough is close. MND is not incurable it has just been underfunded and I have belief that by raising funds we can give the scientists and researchers the best possible opportunity to find that cure. We also need to help those living with MND, to give them hope and love so they know we are with them.”