Sir Kevin Sinfield has lace-up memories of pushing his best friend Rob Burrow in a wheelchair up steep hills in Leeds, desperate to keep him moving as motor neurone disease slowly stole his body. Years later, Sinfield is still running for Rob — and he shows no signs of stopping.
Sinfield, who was knighted last month for his services to rugby and the MND community, has raised more than £11 million for research into the disease that killed Burrow in 2024 after a five-year fight. The England rugby coach recently returned to South Africa with his team, where his own body struggled with the thin air at 6,000 feet above sea level. His smartwatch alarm blared from the moment he landed. But after five days, his blood oxygen levels bounced back nearly to normal — proof, he says, that bodies can adapt with enough time and effort.
"I am massively overwhelmed, because I always go back to this is just about doing some running for a mate," Sinfield told the Rugby Union Weekly podcast. "And that's all it will ever be for me."
The 54-year-old former rugby league player first found fame for his endurance feats when he ran seven marathons in seven days in 2020 to raise money for Burrow, who was diagnosed in 2019. That single act of friendship sparked a fundraising juggernaut. Since then, Sinfield has completed increasingly grueling challenges — running across entire counties, climbing mountains, and now planning his biggest test yet: a 196-mile route visiting every Super League stadium in England over seven days this autumn. He will run nearly 28 miles each day, finishing at the Grand Final on October 3.
"I am in this for life," Sinfield said. "I made a commitment a number of years ago, and there is a legacy that we need to uphold for Rob and others we have lost on this journey. I can't run forever, but I will continue to run as long as I can and continue to do it my own way."
The knighthood, awarded in King Charles's Birthday Honours, recognizes both his achievements on the rugby field and his extraordinary commitment to supporting families living with MND. The money he has raised funds research into treatments and provides practical help — equipment, care support, and grants — for families navigating the disease.
This weekend, Sinfield turns his focus to helping England face world champions South Africa at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, a venue where England has not won since 1972. But even with altitude sickness lingering and a brutal schedule ahead — including matches against Fiji in Liverpool and Argentina in Argentina — Sinfield says the entire squad of 36 players is ready.
"Does it get any bigger? Does it get any bigger than this?" he asked.
For Sinfield, the answer seems clear: it doesn't get bigger than showing up, day after day, for the people who need you.