Kevin Sinfield performs a Corker as he smashes second extremely marathon in 2 days for pal Rob
Sinfield set out to raise £777,777 to help find a cure for motor neurone disease and he may have reached that target already after finishing second in SuperValu Pairc in Cork
Kevin Sinfield was on course to break his seven-day fundraising cash target in just 48 hours after announcing he ‘smashed Cork’ following his second ultra-marathon in two days.
The ‘People’s Knight’ set out to raise £777,777 to help find a cure for motor neurone disease by running seven 27.9 milers in seven days.
But sources suggested he may already have surpassed his target as he finished his second gruelling slog in Ireland yesterday. He netted £450,000 during Monday’s first leg in Suffolk.
And Kevin, 45, who admitted his back-up team had been forced to piece him back together like ‘Humpty Dumpty’ afterwards, was upbeat as he hared into SuperValu Pairc in Cork to finish the second.
“It’s been a wonderful day,” said the England rugby union coach who spent his 19th wedding anniversary trudging through the Irish countryside.
“Someone brought the sunshine for us. Our team is really special to me. There’s 15 of us, including myself, that are over here.
“I know I’m front and centre but our team is absolutely incredible. I can’t do what I do without the help of some wonderful people behind the scenes.
“It’s been a huge team effort. We certainly have some really fond memories. So we smashed Cork.”
Kevin, who has already raised more than £10m for the cause, admitted the first marathon had taken its toll with one fellow runner losing a toenail.
“You try to spend 10 hours trying to put Humpty Dumpty back together again,” he said. “Anybody who has run that sort of distance will know you’re a bit beat up the following day. The recovery is so important. The team is brilliant.
“They help put us back together and we’re here again. I keep making the start line.”
Kevin was inspired to launch his fundraising marathon after his former Great Britain and Leeds Rhinos rugby league team-mate Rob Burrow was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019.
Images of him carrying his pal across the finishing line of the Leeds Marathon helped raise awareness of the degenerative nerve condition which causes muscle weakness, stiffness and paralysis.
Should he succeed it will be the sixth occasion he has completed seven ultra marathons in a week to raise funds for a cure.
He has pledged to do it again next year for a seventh time – matching the number Rob wore on his shirts – and to carry on raising cash for the cause for the rest of his life.
Rob died last year aged 41 after a five-year battle with the disease.
But his wife Lindsey, 42, told the Daily Star she hoped her husband would inspire his friend to complete his latest gruelling challenge.
“Rob still inspires everyone who knew him every day so that doesn’t surprise me that Kev thinks of him when things are getting tough,” she said.
“They spent 15 years sat next to each other in the dressing room at training and I am sure there are lots of funny memories that will pick Kev up when he needs to dig deep.”
The Daily Star has launched a campaign for Kevin’s selfless fundraising to be recognised with a knighthood. Nearly 50,000 Brits have signed an online petition backing the move.
Last week darts ace Luke Littler, 18, a big rugby league fan, gave the gong his backing after donating thousands of pounds of his winnings to the cause.
Lindsey, who also believes Kevin’s efforts are worthy of one of Britain’s top gongs, hailed Luke for joining the fundraising team.
“It’s wonderful to see someone like Luke Littler moved to get involved,” she said. “I know he has donated money to the MND Association as well.
“When people from different sports and backgrounds rally behind this cause it shows how far Rob’s story has reached and how much good it continues to inspire.”
Last night Kevin jetted to Wales where he will today run the third leg of his challenge in Cardiff.
