KEVIN Sinfield running home to Saddleworth in his latest physical challenge – with the area providing one last test.
The rugby league legend, now skills and kicking coach of England’s rugby union team, finishes by taking in the area’s Santa Dash – for which he has recorded participants a special good luck message – on Saturday, December 7.
Every day, he and his team are running more than 50 kilometres, with each broken down into seven-kilometre blocks.
And the penultimate leg of the entire trip sees him run from Waterhead ARLFC to Delph’s The Old Bell Inn.
The terrain of which is not lost on him – flat it most certainly is not.
Sinfield said: “Is there another route? I just felt, ‘This is supposed to be tough.’
“People who know Saddleworth will know it’ll be the last day, very nearly the last leg and you’ve probably got the biggest hill to climb.
“This was never meant to be easy and it is what it is.”
Sinfield’s final day will start at Manchester United’s Old Trafford stadium and will take in Media City and Etihad Campus – where an Extra Mile event will be held – before heading into his native Oldham.
And he revealed he requested a stop at Peach Road, home of the club where his rugby journey started as a child.
From there, it will be to The Old Bell Inn before the final leg sees him loop around Delph then head to Dobcross, Diggle and Uppermill – where he will start the Santa Dash – and finish at Grasscroft’s Farrars Arms pub, where his first ever challenge started and ended.
But he added: “I requested it. The routes have been put together brilliantly but there are areas we specifically discussed as a smaller unit – a number of things and locations.
“I wanted to go back to my community club. It means a lot to me and it’s a place where I know they’ll look after us.
“I know there’ll be a warm welcome. There’ll be a nice cup of coffee, I’m sure. I’m looking forward to going back there.”
Sinfield also gave a glimpse into his recent schedule, which has seen him juggle training with his rugby union work and a speaking tour as he also detailed Burrow’s lasting influence
He added: “This is going to be a scrap.
“For 11-and-a-half weeks I pushed and pushed and when you push for a period of time, there’s a likelihood you’re going to break and I’m probably at the cusp of it now.
“It’s been heavy, it’s meant having a couple of hours sleep a night but it’s the choice I’ve made.
“To have Rob not around is pretty tough. I won’t be getting his text messages in the evening. I’ll miss his humour. I miss him every day.
“This was only put together because we were doing a little run for our little mate, trying to raise a little bit of money four years ago.
“It’s changed but I’ll never go away from why it was set up. It means a lot we represent him and his family in the right way. He’ll be with us in spirit, he’ll still make me smile. We intend to do him justice.”
Sinfield’s challenges alone have raised almost £10 million, much more has come in to honour Leeds legend Burrow.
On top of that is the awareness of MND and those who live with it, as well as care for them, and he admitted his eyes have been opened to a much bigger issue than he first thought.
Sinfield said: “Absolutely it has. More people are being diagnosed than there’s ever been – some of that is the awareness.
“People are going to the doctors earlier, which is fantastic, but that means there are more families having to go through what the Burrows went through and what millions have over decades.
“We’ve got to keep trying to help. Government funding is purely for research, who looks after the human side? Who looks after the things people really need, the care, support, love and respect?
“Even we find a cure tomorrow, there are people who’d be too far down the journey, it won’t be able to be reversed.
“We’ve got to make sure we keep looking after everybody.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.