Sinfield plans new fundraising challenge

RUGBY LEAGUE legend Kevin Sinfield is planning a new challenge to raise funds for the fight against motor neurone disease – and this time he hopes to team up with members of the public.

Sinfield, the former Leeds Rhinos captain and now director of rugby, raised £2.2m for the MND Association by running seven marathons in seven days last December, in honour of his ex-teammate Rob Burrow who was diagnosed with the illness in 2019.

Sinfield, inset, and the MNDA have now confirmed how that money will be spent, with £1.25m going to frontline support services, £300,000 to the association’s operation in the north and £655,000 being put towards research.

Burrow and his family were involved in discussions over how the money raised through last year’s challenge would be used.

The MNDA has pledged £2m to research on top of the contribution from Sinfield’s fund-raising, which is in addition to £3m already committed this year.

Sinfield’s challenge took place during tight Covid restrictions, limiting him to a six-strong team, but since then, more than 700 other people have signed up for their own seven-in-seven challenges, raising an extra £213,647.

Now the blisters have healed, Sinfield confirmed he is turning his attention to a new effort later this year.

“There are a couple of challenges on the horizon,” he revealed.

“We are still pulling those together, but we are hoping there will be another seven-in-seven towards the back end of the year. We are not quite sure yet and I think Covid will dictate some of it again, but I think it will be a different theme than marathon running.” Sinfield is keeping details close to his chest, but added: “Without giving too much away, I think it is going to be a walk that covers seven days with a bit of a crazy distance set in there. “I think that’s where we are heading at the minute; it could end up being a bike ride, we could end up doing marathons again, but at this stage we want to try and open it up to as many people as we can.”

Not only has the seven-in-seven challenge raised funds to fight the disease, but it has also raised awareness of what was a previously little known condition.

Sinfield said: “It started off with Rob at the forefront – trying to raise some money from a few jogs for a mate – and became something much bigger.

“We ended up with a full army of people connected with MND behind us and it was so powerful.”