7 December 2020 Fundraising

Image of Rob, Kevin and Friends wearing MNDA branded clothing

Former Leeds Rhinos captain Kevin Sinfield has not only completed seven marathons in seven days, he’s inspired tens of thousands of people to dig deep and donate, in tribute to his friend Rob Burrow.

As Kevin pounded the streets of Yorkshire, day after day, so the money rolled in, smashing through his original target of £77,777 – a gesture to Rob’s playing number 7. As momentum grew so did the total, hitting half a million pounds and hurtling towards £777,777 on day six.

By the time Kevin finished his seventh marathon in seven days he’d raised more than £1.2 million – and the total is still going up. The money will be split between the Burrow family and the MND Association, with details to be announced soon.

Greeted at the end by friends, family and well wishers, Kevin said:

“I’m overwhelmed. It’s unbelievable and I’m so happy we got it done/ After the first day I did worry we’d bitten off more than we could chew but the donations and the support just fuelled us. It’s overwhelming.”

Linda Allen, Director of Fundraising at the MND Association said:

“Like everyone who has been following Kevin Sinfield’s epic challenge to complete seven marathons in seven days we are in awe of everything he’s achieved.

The physical feat alone is incomprehensible to most people. I think what has really captured people’s hearts is the way Kevin has done what he’s done, with such dignity and humility, as a tribute to his friendship with Rob Burrow.

We would like to thank every single person who has been inspired by that to dip into their pockets and give generously.

It is only thanks to this kind of generosity that the MND Association can continue to invest in the work we do, coordinating care for people with MND, campaigning on behalf of people with MND and of course the world-leading research which, we all hope, will lead to significant breakthroughs uncovering the causes and potential treatments for MND, giving hope to Rob and the 5,000 people in the UK currently living with this brutal disease.

In the meantime, our thanks go to Kevin and his entire team for organising this incredible challenge. The Association and the MND community couldn’t be more grateful.”