Kevin Sinfield never wanted to be defined by his playing career.
“I didn’t want to be one of those ex-players who looked back and held on to stuff that had happened,” he says, as we chat in the shadows of Old Trafford, the scene of Sinfield’s greatest rugby league triumphs.
The legendary former Leeds Rhinos captain is getting ready for his toughest endurance challenge to date, running seven ultra marathons in seven days for his friend and former team-mate Rob Burrow.
“I wanted to find something else in my life that gave me the satisfaction and content that playing did,” Sinfield tells The Sportsman. “I really struggled with that. Until Rob finds himself in terrible, tragic circumstances and gives you the chance to try and help.”
Sinfield’s two challenges so far in 2020 and 2021 have raised over £5 million to both help find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease, and fulfil Burrow’s wish of creating a specialist MND hospital in Leeds in his name. The third and final challenge will see Sinfield attempt to cover almost 40 miles a day for seven days, inspired by his former team-mate and fellow sufferers Doddie Weir, Stephen Darby and Ed Slater.
Sinfield is in fantastic shape, keeping himself marathon-ready all year round. But this time even the 42-year old admits he is heading a long way into the unknown.
“I’m realistic, this is the toughest of the three challenges and I understand the risks,” he says. “But I don’t want people to think this is a Kipchoge sub-two-hour marathon science experiment. It’s a group of mates going for a run. I have to be confident we will finish, but if I didn’t have mixed feelings in starting then it wouldn’t be a challenge. Am I good enough? Am I tough enough? Have I prepared well enough? These are the doubts that I’ve had when I am sat in a dressing room before a game. The things that everybody goes through in life.”
The shock of an MND diagnosis in December 2019 floored Burrow, his family, friends and team-mates. When this writer met Sinfield for coffee shortly after the news was made public, we had no idea what was going to happen, or what we could, or should do.
“We must stand shoulder to shoulder to him,” was Sinfield’s reaction back then to the life-changing events. “And keep him laughing.”
In truth Burrow remains the one keeping the laughter flowing and the belief so robust amongst his band of brothers. And while Sinfield continues to so selflessly and positively use his own profile to such incredible effect, he admits the strength all comes from Rob himself.
“Every time I see Rob it gives me a great deal of perspective on life and what is important. I thank him for that because he is a complete energy-giver and I get so much strength from him. I am delighted by what Rob has been able to do and what he has accomplished these last couple of years. Being able to provide hope for so many people has been incredible and he has done that with the support of a wonderful family. He has been a tower of strength for everybody.”
But how often has Sinfield taken stock himself of the last few years, of what has happened to his friend, the devastating, debilitating progression of the disease, and what has also been achieved for MND since sharing the shock over that coffee almost three years ago?
“I don’t take stock of it all mate, and I can’t,” he tells me. “I just can’t, and I probably should. And I probably wish I could. But I don’t. I can’t.”
Sinfield says he will only allow himself to ‘go there’ when he slips into the darkest of places that all endurance runners go to on challenges such as this.
“The cause and the reasons help me when I hit dark moments. The best teams I ever played in when we made it to Old Trafford all had a cause and a reason why. When you have that it makes it far easier. Everyone knows the reason why. Rob, and our love and friendship. When I need to think about Rob and go there, I will.
“And that’s what rugby is, right? You help each other out. In my own mind we are just going on a run for a mate. I don’t think too much more of what we are doing. The last couple of years have been an incredible journey but a tragic journey too."
Training for an ultra marathon is tough enough, let alone a week’s worth of them back to back. Throw in a sizeable work commute - Sinfield lives with his family in Oldham and works in rugby union at Leicester Tigers - and you wonder how even Sinfield has managed to prepare sufficiently.
“Training has been brutal,” he admits. “It is no fun getting up at 4am to run a marathon when you have done one the day before. It’s no fun then working a full day in Leicester and driving there and back to run 61km after work. It’s no fun. But it shouldn’t be fun.
“I keep myself in decent marathon shape throughout the year but from August I’ve really picked it up, long run after long run, then back off for a couple of days then go again. That’s been a huge challenge with working in Leicester and family too, it doesn’t really lend itself to going on four or five-hour runs on Saturday and Sunday. Batteries just deplete and it affects the other parts of your life. But we are here now and have done the hard work.”
Sinfield’s ‘Ultra 7 in 7’ challenge starts at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Sunday November 13 and is due to finish at Old Trafford in Manchester on Saturday 19, the day of the Rugby League World Cup final.
“I cannot replicate what Rob is going through,” he adds. “But I can choose to go to some dark spots myself to provide some smiles, hope and funds to maybe change the direction of what MND looks like in five, 15, 20 years time.”
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