Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon: Rhinos legend's event could become annual race for Motor Neurone Disease - Kevin Sinfield

The Rhinos legend, who is now a coach at Leicester Tigers Rugby Union Club, returned to Headingley yesterday to launch the run which will begin and finish at the stadium on May 14 next year.

The marathon is a partnership between Leeds City Council and Jane Tomlinson’s Run For All, a not-for-profit sporting events company that stages the Leeds Half Marathon and Yorkshire Marathon.

Since Burrow was diagnosed in 2019, Sinfield has raised millions of pounds to aid the fight against motor neurone disease (mnd) through two endurance challenges, completing seven marathons in seven days in 2020 and last year’s 101-mile run from Leicester to Leeds.

The Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon will be a mass participation event with 7,777 places available and Sinfield said: “I’d love it to be an annual event, that’s the idea.

“Leeds needs a marathon and a day when it can celebrate Rob and when people of all abilities, ages, sizes or whatever can come together and run in Rob’s name.”

Next year’s race will be the first marathon in Leeds since 2003.

“There’s no better person for it to be named after,” Sinfield added.

“For it to start and finish at Headingley, where Rob had some wonderful days, is brilliant.

“I hope the people of Leeds get behind it, I know the rugby community will and the MND community will.

“Whether you can run or not, you can support it on the day, by volunteering or even coming and handing out Jelly Babies at the side of the road.”

The marathon will help raise vital funds for the Leeds Hospitals Charity’s appeal to build the Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease, as well as the MND Association.

But Sinfield stressed: “We want people to come and run for charities they are passionate about and mean a lot to them.

“The marathon is built on friendship and it’s really important people come and run for family and friends and important things in their lives they can make a difference to.”

Sinfield is now planning his third and final challenge, to take place at the end of this year.

He confirmed: “The route is 99 per cent planned.

“It will probably be the last big running event I do and it will be bigger than the other two in terms of distance.”

The marathon will be a major fund-raiser for the Leeds Hospitals Charity.

Its chief executive Esther Wakeman said: “We need to raise £5m to build the Rob Burrow Centre for MND.

“We have got £2m, thanks mainly to Kevin Sinfield and also Rob’s family and the fund-raising they’ve been doing.

“We really hope the people of Leeds and West Yorkshire sign up to run for Rob.”