English rugby union coach Kevin Sinfield has completed his fifth annual fundraiser challenge by running seven ultra marathons in seven regions in seven days to raise money for MND.
He began in Liverpool on Sunday 1st December and passed through countless towns and villages across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as he made his way across Wrexham, Gloucester, Bristol, Belfast, Glasgow, Hull, Northampton, Leicester and Manchester before ending in his hometown of Saddleworth on Saturday 7th December.
He courageously undertook this extraordinary challenge in memory of his much loved friend and former teammate Rob Burrow, who died from MND in June aged just 41. Rob’s number 7 shirt inspired the event, which occurred by covering distances in excess of 50km, broken down into 7km blocks every day.
Brian Dickie MBE, Director of Research Innovation, MND Association, said: “The millions raised through the 7 in 7 challenges over the past four years has been pivotal in bringing together leading experts from across the UK to focus on cutting edge translational research, speeding up the development of potential new treatments.”
As well as raising awareness of MND, Sinfield hopes to raise funds for charities that help those affected by the disease, which includes more than 5,000 people in the UK at any one time, and kills more than six people per day. At the time of writing, the total amount raised from this fifth challenge is over £1 million.
He has been praised by hundreds on social media, with none other than the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer saying in a video posted to social media: “Kevin, I would just like to say a massive thank you for what you are doing. It is completely inspirational, almost unbelievable in terms of the endurance, the commitment, the dedication that you’re putting into such an important cause.”
This is Kevin’s fifth fundraising challenge for MND, the first occurring back in 2020 which raised an incredible £1.2 million.
Donations can be made by visiting donate.giveasyoulive.com/fundraising/kevin-sinfield-and-teams-fundraising or via text:
Text Kevin or Kevin 7 to 70143 to donate £7
Kevin10 to donate £10
Kevin20 to donate £20
Main image provided by the Motor Neurone Disease Association
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