Kevin Sinfield goes past halfway point in his latest epic fundraising challenge for MND research
Rugby legend Kevin Sinfield is now halfway through his epic ultra-marathon challenge to raise money to tackle motor neurone disease.
The former Leeds Rhinos captain and England rugby union coach is running an ultra-marathon every day for seven days in seven cities around Great Britain and Ireland.
The "7 in 7 in 7" challenge is once again raising awareness and funds to support people affected by motor neurone disease (MND). The initial target is to raise £777,777.
Donations have already reached £327,000.
The 43-year-old embarks on his Edinburgh section today, having already completed Leeds, Cardiff, and Birmingham.
Day 4 sees him cross the Forth Road Bridge at noon before visiting various rugby clubs.
The finishing point will be Murrayfield Stadium.
The final three days will take Sinfield to Dublin, Brighton, and finally to London on Thursday (7 Dec).
Sinfield and his support team have endured freezing temperatures since Monday's start at Headingley, but crowds and well-wishers have turned out nonetheless.
At the finish line in Birmingham, he said: "As you can imagine, with the weather we've had it has been horrendous. But we've got through, we've got here to the finish, [and] we've seen some lovely people along the way.
"We had a great send-off this morning and to come up the ramp and to see this at the finish... we couldn't have asked for any more."
He added: "Wherever we've been we've had incredible support. I think you guys understand how beautiful this MND community is, and you're supporting exactly what we're trying to do.
"Which is to bring some hope, some love, and respect to these families, and to make sure those we've lost previously are remembered properly.
"So thank you all for being here today and supporting what we're doing."
Sinfield was inspired to undertake a series of endurance events by his former Leeds Rhinos teammate Rob Burrow, who was diagnosed with MND in 2019.
Together they have raised more than £8m since 2020, funding the building of the Rob Burrow Centre for MND at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The money raised from this latest challenge is earmarked for the Motor Neurone Disease Association, Leeds Hospitals Charity, The Darby Rimmer MND Foundation, Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association, and My Name'5 Doddie Foundation.
Leeds Hospitals Charity will benefit from 41% of the money raised to help build the Rob Burrow Centre for MND.
More information can be found here.
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