Kevin Sinfield: Rugby legend to run 300 miles in a week

Kevin Sinfield (R) was a teammate of Rob Burrow (L), who was diagnosed with MND in 2019

Rugby league legend Kevin Sinfield has set off on the first of seven long distance runs to raise money for motor neurone disease (MND) research.

The former Leeds Rhinos player was a teammate of Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with MND in 2019, and has raised more than £5m in his name.

Day one of his challenge will see him run from Murrayfield Stadium averaging more than 37 miles (60km) a day.

He will finish at the Rugby League World Cup final at Old Trafford.

Sinfield - who ran seven marathons in seven days in 2020 - will run more than 300 miles (482km) this week in a challenge which he hopes will raise £777,777.

The money will be shared between several charities which support people affected by MND, including the MND Association and Leeds Hospitals Charity's appeal to build the Rob Burrow Centre for MND in Leeds.

Last year Sinfield ran 101 miles (163km) in 24 hours to raise money for the Rob Burrow MND charity

There will also be donations to MND Scotland, My Name'5 Doddie Foundation and the Darby Rimmer MND Foundation plus support for the 4ED campaign to support former Gloucester and Leicester Rugby Union player Ed Slater, who was recently diagnosed with MND.

Sinfield, now part of the coaching team at Leicester Tigers, said the new fundraising challenge came after former Scottish rugby union player Doddie Weir and ex-Bradford City footballer Stephen Darby were both diagnosed with MND.

"We'll try and hit locations, places that mean a lot to Doddie, Rob and Stephen," he said.

He will run through Melrose, Newcastle, Middlesbrough, York, Leeds and Bradford on his route south, ending on 19 November when he will run onto the pitch at Old Trafford at half-time during the men's World Cup Final.

The 42-year-old has previously said he expects the week to be "pretty brutal" but worth it in the end.