KEVIN SINFIELD has run home for Christmas and given a million more reasons to honour Rob Burrow – while defying a muscle tear.
The rugby league icon, now England RU’s skills and kicking coach, completed the final leg of his ultramarathon challenge at the spot fundraising for his pal and former Leeds Rhinos team-mate began.
Not even Storm Darragh could stop Super Sinfield – at 8.10am yesterday, the £777,777 amount set for motor neurone disease charities was passed – by 9am, with Gift Aid, he had topped £1 million.
Former footballer Marcus Stewart was on hand to welcome him to his native Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, where he started its Santa Dash before the final yards to the pub the very first challenge started in 2020.
And the ex-Ipswich star handed out his Christmas gifts, baubles with cheekily-worded individual messages.
Sinfield said as he toasted ‘typical Saddleworth weather’ – pouring rain – after a huge hug from wife Jayne: “We’ve looked forward to this day since we started. We’ve looked forward to this moment.
“I’ve run up and down this hill a few times – this is where it all started, where we set out on the first lot of marathons for Rob, so to finish back here on challenge five is very special for us all.
“We know why we’re here. We’re really passionate about the MND community and Rob Burrow.
“Keep looking after people.
“In its simplest form, it’s going for a run with some mates for a mate.”
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The 230-mile run was not without its bumps. Day one saw them almost miss the ferry, day two nearly included a missed flight.
But a muscle tear which required injections picked up 10 days before the start, as well as other injuries and back pain, did not force the 44-year-old to cut it short.
Sinfield was joined at stages by Manchester United legend and near neighbour Paul Scholes, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and Coronation Street stars Daniel Brocklebank and Peter Ash – whose character Paul Foreman lived with MND.
And he had one last reminder of why he did it in Dwayne Wells, who lives in Saddleworth and was diagnosed with MND three weeks after his wedding last year.
Twice the team ran past the steep road he lives on, at the top on the penultimate leg and at the bottom as they made their way home.
And that gradient, plus the 12 steps to his home, which take about an hour to do, means his family is raising the £50,000 needed for adaptations to prevent social isolation.
Dwayne, 38, was pulled around Saddleworth’s Santa Dash in his ‘sleigh’ by nine ‘reindeer’ and mother-in-law Justine Theaker spelled out what Sinfield has done.
She said: “He’s a hero for everybody.
“If you’d mentioned MND even five years ago, it wouldn’t have landed with many people. Now because of all the work Kevin’s done, it’s raised awareness so phenomenally.
“As soon as you say MND, people know now. That awareness is really important. Kevin’s been instrumental in boosting funds, which will help with research as there’s very little, if any, treatment for it.
“There’s now a licensed treatment that’s known to be effective for the genetic variant of it. It’s not effective for Dwayne’s condition but for others it will help immeasurably.
“Without the research, there’s no hope. At least now there is some. This wouldn’t have happened without the fundraising and more people knowing about it.”
