Leeds Rhinos legend Kevin Sinfield announces new ‘running home for Christmas’ MND challenge

Sinfield’s fifth motor neurone disease (MND) fund-raiser will see him run more than 50 kilometres per day in seven regions of Great Britain and Northern Ireland this December. The former Rhinos captain has raised millions of pounds to support MND sufferers and fight the disease since his ex-teammate Rob Burrow was diagnosed with the illness in 2019.

Each day of this year’s Running Home For Christmas’ challenge will be broken into seven kilometre blocks, beginning an hour apart. It will include the return of the ‘extra mile’ events from last year’s 7 in 7 in 7 challenge when members of the MND community joined Sinfield and the team to complete their own mile.

The 2024 feat is due to begin on December 1 with a run from Liverpool to Wrexham. Day two is the longest, covering more than 60 km from Gloucester to Bristol, in a tribute to ex-Gloucester rugby union player Ed Slater and footballer Marcus Stewart, who started his career at Bristol Rovers.

On December 3 the team will cross the Irish Sea to Belfast before a run from Stirling to Glasgow the following day, in memory of Scotland rugby union icon Doddie Weir. The team will visit Hull on December 5 and the penultimate day starts at the head office of the MND Association in Northampton, with Sinfield leading the team to Leicester where the 2021 Extra Mile challenge began.

The final day will take Sinfield from Old Trafford to his home patch of Saddleworth, near Oldham, where his first epic finished in 2020. Sinfield said: “It is a special time of year for our challenges.

“We always say people like to see us battling through the elements, but for us it is wonderful to arrive in cities with the Christmas lights up and everyone feeling good. The MND community are always in our thoughts, but especially at that time of year when families are going through tough times.

“We want to meet as many of the MND community as we can along the way, whether that is at our stops after each seven kilometre block or at the extra mile events, which were so special last year. We are announcing a bit earlier this year so as many people as possible can get involved either as supporters or sponsors.”