Leeds Rhinos' marathon man Kevin Sinfield hits the road for 'good mate' Rob Burrow

Sinfield had secured a place in the Manchester Marathon, scheduled for Sunday, April 5, but that has fallen victim to the coronavirus pandemic.

So instead Sinfield will pound out his own 26.2 mile course centred on the Pennine village of Saddleworth, where he lives.

The former Rhinos and England captain will be running to raise funds and awareness for the Motor Neurone Disease [MND] Association and Leeds Rhinos Foundation.

Burrow, who wore number seven for most of his Rhinos playing career, was diagnosed with MND in December.

Appropriately, it will be Sinfield’s seventh marathon - and he plans to set off at 7am.

“I could wait until the weekend of April 5, but I suspect we could be locked down at some stage, so while I can still get out I will do and make the most of it,” Sinfield, 39, said.

He has been in training, but admitted: “I am probably a bit under-done.

“That is part of the challenge.

“I have put a bit of a route together, which I use for training and hopefully I’ll get some nice weather.”

Running on his own - and in a part of the country not known for flat roads - Sinfield isn’t expecting to set any records.

His personal best time for a marathon is three hours, 21 minutes, but he admitted: “I’ll try and get below three hours 30, that’s my aim.

“If I can get under that I will be made up, because it’s pretty hilly round near where I live.”

Sinfield played his final game for Rhinos in 2015 and has been running marathons since hanging up his boots in 2016 at the end of a season playing rugby union for Yorkshire Carnegie.

“This will be my seventh marathon,” he said.

“I am going to start at 7am and try and get it done.

“I’m aware it’s also Mother’s Day and I’ll have family duties afterwards.”

Increasing awareness of MND is Sinfield’s main objective, though he would also like to raise funds for the association and Rhinos' foundation.

Almost £2,000 has already been pledged.

Sinfield explained: “I didn’t originally set a fund-raising page up, because I thought we might have a Challenge Cup game on April 5.

“Because of where we are in society at the moment, it is more about awareness. I saw that the youngest person to die from coronavirus in this country was a guy who had MND.

“I am thinking about Rob, who is in isolation and if I can raise a bit of awareness and keep his name out there, that’s the main thing.

“At the moment there’s a lot of vulnerable people and Rob is certainly one of them, but I appreciate there’s a lot of kind people out there and if they’d like to donate it will go to two great causes.”

To sponsor Sinfield, log on to https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/LeedsRhinos