Sir Kevin Sinfield completes seventh ultra marathon in seven days at Old Trafford
Sir Kevin Sinfield completed seven ultra marathons in seven days at Old Trafford, raising more than £1.3m this year for MND and over £11m since 2020.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Sir Kevin Sinfield completed his seventh ultra marathon in seven days at Old Trafford on Saturday, finishing the final leg of his annual endurance challenge before the Super League Grand Final. The former rugby league player ran from Hull to Manchester, visiting all 12 Super League stadiums, to raise money and awareness for motor neurone disease charities in memory of his former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Rob Burrow.
The challenge raised more than £1.3 million this year, with the total for Sinfield's seven years of fundraising now above £11 million since his first challenge in 2020. The money will be shared between MND charities. Burrow was diagnosed with MND in 2019 and died in 2024 after living with the condition for four and a half years.
The Prince and Princess of Wales surprised Sinfield on day three in Wakefield, where he finished his third ultra marathon at the home of Wakefield Trinity. William and Kate met Burrow's children and family, and spent time with families affected by MND. One of those was Inara, who is 10 years old. MND typically develops in people over 50. Kate praised Sinfield and told him: 'Make sure you hold yourself together for a few days.' Sinfield said the running mattered because it gave people a chance to donate, but the love, care and support for the MND community mattered more.
The Princess Royal, patron of the MND Association, also lent her support earlier in the week. She banged a drum seven times to set the runners off on another leg. Sinfield has said this was his final annual endurance challenge after seven years of events.
At Old Trafford, Sinfield was given a guard of honour through crowds before the Grand Final, where more than 70,000 fans were expected. He said: 'It's been a great week. Just like the support as you've seen has been awesome. Can't thank people enough. MND community feel loved and cared for and supported and the money raised just off the scale again.' He added that the week was exhilarating and exhausting, and that Burrow would be proud to see how the rugby league community had supported and cared for people with MND.
The week ended with a family celebration. Sinfield's son Jack played for Wakefield Trinity in the Grand Final, and the club won its first Super League title, beating Warrington Wolves 23-10. It was Wakefield's first league title in 58 years. Coverage also noted that six people are diagnosed with MND in the UK each day, and a third of people with the disease die within a year of diagnosis. The Rob Burrow MND Centre in Leeds opened last year, and there are hopes for more centres and more research.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 3 or more of 4 channels | ||||
| Kevin Sinfield aims to complete seven ultra marathons in seven days from Hull to Old Trafford. | Not reported by Channel 5 | |||
| Rob Burrow had motor neurone disease and died; ITV reported he was diagnosed aged 37. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| The Prince and Princess of Wales surprised Kevin Sinfield during his final annual endurance challenge. | Not reported by Channel 5 | |||
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | ||||
| Kevin Sinfield's seventh endurance challenge ended at Old Trafford before the rugby league Grand Final in front of more than 70,000 people, raising more than £1 million this year for MND charities in memory of Rob Burrow. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Sinfield's challenge had raised more than £1 million for MND charities this week. | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | ||
| Sinfield's challenge was inspired by and in memory of Rob Burrow, who had motor neurone disease. | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News | |
| The fundraising total for Rob Burrow was reported to be in excess of 11 million. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | ||
| Only on one channel | ||||
| Princess Kate praised Kevin Sinfield for his hard work. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | |
| Rob Burrow was diagnosed with motor neurone disease at the age of 37. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
| Sinfield had four more ultramarathons to complete before Saturday. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| Six people are diagnosed with motor neurone disease in the UK each day, and a third die within a year of diagnosis. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Reported by Sky News |
| The final leg at Old Trafford on Saturday was expected to draw 70,000 fans. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Sky News | |
| The Princess Royal, patron of the MND Association, showed support the previous day by banging a drum seven times. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News | |
| William and Kate spent time with families affected by MND, including a 10-year-old named Inara. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Not reported by ITV | Not reported by Sky News |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC's coverage followed the story from the royal surprise on day three to the final finish at Old Trafford. It gave the most detail on Sinfield's motivation, Rob Burrow, families affected by MND, and the family ending when his son Jack won the Grand Final with Wakefield Trinity. It also noted earlier support from the Princess Royal and the money raised this year.
- “It takes a lot to surprise a man who's just completed three ultra marathons in three days But the Prince and Princess of Wales did just that in Wakefield”
- “The real benefit of doing something like this is seeing families and pulling people together.”
- “Seven days and seven ultra marathons complete Rob will be so proud to see How he supported and cared and showed your love for a community that really needs us”
ITV framed the story around the royal surprise and the scale of Sinfield's challenge. It noted that William and Kate are patrons of Wales and England rugby respectively, and that their support was united for the visit. It also stressed the fundraising total, Burrow's diagnosis age, and the final Old Trafford leg.
- “He has four more ultramarathons to complete before Saturday but waiting for Sir Kevin Sinfield as he finished day three, one Prince and one Princess.”
- “William and Kate hadn't told Kevin they were coming to the home of Wakefield Trinity today to give him a boost for the days ahead.”
- “That total currently stands in excess of 11 million for his former Leeds Rhinos team-mate Rob Burrow”
Sky gave both a short news report and a wider studio discussion. Its first report focused on the royal surprise and third ultra marathon, while its later coverage focused on the Old Trafford finish, the £11 million total, and the wider impact of MND. The discussion included personal experience of the disease and statistics about diagnosis and survival.
- “Sir Kevin Sinfield Was met by some surprise supporters as he completed a charity run to raise money for motor neurone disease”
- “Sinfield has raised more than, it's quite incredible this, £11 million since his first challenge back in 2020.”
- “Six people will be diagnosed today in the UK with motor neurone disease. A third will die within a year of diagnosis.”
5 News Weekend gave a brief final-result item at the end of its bulletin. It focused on completion of the challenge, the amount raised and the finish at Old Trafford, with no royal angle or detailed interviews. The item was short and placed after political coverage.
- “he's run seven ultra-marathons in seven days and raised over a million pounds whilst he's at it”
- “This year's challenge has now raised more than £1.3 million as Sinfield crossed the finish line at Old Trafford.”
Who was on air
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- 18:28 BST
Sir Kevin Sinfield, rugby league's Sir Kevin Sinfield
BBC News · Tue 29 Sept - 22:29 BST
Sir Kevin Sinfield, former rugby league player and charity fundraiser
BBC News and Weather · Tue 29 Sept
Broadcast Timeline
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