Nick Youngquest is heading up a group of Australia-based former Super League stars who will run the inaugural Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon next spring. The ex-Castleford Tigers winger turned model, who has completed nine marathons, is set to be joined in the trek around Leeds by James Graham, Luke Burgess, George Burgess and Greg Bird.
It stems from Youngquest’s desire to support legendary former Leeds Rhinos star Burrow following his diagnosis with Motor Neurone Disease in December 2019. Over 10,000 runners will participate in the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon on Sunday, May 14, 2023 and Youngquest, a popular figure during his time at Wheldon Road, will be among them.
The 39-year-old said Kevin Sinfield’s gruelling running challenges, which have raised over a staggering £7million for MND charities since Burrow’s diagnosis, had inspired him to get involved. Youngquest told Leeds Live: “Everyone here in Australia has been following Rob’s story and all the amazing things that Kev has done to support him.
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“The Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon will be a special event and has caught the imagination of myself and a few other ex-Super League players down under. The guys who are wanting to run include James Graham, Luke Burgess, George Burgess and Greg Bird and myself.
“Luke played with Rob for Leeds, George and Jammer played him for England while Greg and I came up against Rob in Super League. My personal interactions with Rob were limited to game-days but I had the utmost respect and admiration for him because he’s always been one of the best advocates that rugby league could have ever had.
“Rob had the respect of everyone as a player because he was incredibly resilient but it was his humility which probably struck me as his best trait. Now he’s facing the greatest challenge of his life, he still has that same humility and, even though this is the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon, he wants it to be about helping other people. It’s quite fitting that he’s such good friends with Kev because they are both such selfless people.
“Getting involved in running the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon as a group of former players is the least we can do to support such an amazing cause. We’re currently speaking to the Leeds Rhinos Foundation about how our participation can help raise money for charitable causes related to Rob and MND. I believe a lot more former players will jump on board and get involved too.”
Luke and George Burgess, Graham and Youngquest live in Sydney while ex-Catalans Dragons star Bird is based on the Gold Coast. Youngquest said: “I’ve run nine marathons – I did the New York Marathon four weeks ago and it was horrible! But the cool thing about doing a marathon for me is the journey to the start line with all the training and preparation that is required.
“Running the Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon in May will be incredibly emotional, not only for us as ex-players but all the 10,000-plus people running it. Running a marathon is never easy, but then it’s not easy what Rob is going through right now either. Having a few of us back here in Oz, who I will help train up, will be a fantastic journey. We will draw on the resilience that Rob has showed and continues to show. That will inspire us.”
Youngquest enjoys a long-standing friendship with Bird, which is how he became acquainted with the Burgesses, while his connection with Graham began over beers at Los Angeles Airport. “I’ve stayed in touch with Jammer and he actually ran the Sydney Morning Herald Half Marathon with Luke Burgess and I earlier this year,” explained Youngquest.
“I’m heavily involved in a foundation called Athletes For Life where we try and encourage athletes who have recently retired to engage with physical activity. Birdy, who I have known since we were teenagers, is getting into running as a way of trying to keep fit and healthy, physically and emotionally.”
Youngquest made 37 appearances in the NRL while at Cronulla, St George Illawarra, Penrith and Canterbury before joining French side Pia. He joined Gateshead in 2009 before switching to Crusaders and then joining Castleford ahead of the 2011 Super League season.
“At Crusaders we had some good characters and good players – we beat Leeds at Headingley and made the Super League play-offs in 2010,” remembered Youngquest. “I’ve got great memories of playing in Super League – it’s a competition that breeds so many characters – and I’m still in touch with a few of the boys.
“I remember Nathan Massey, Adam Milner and Oggy Holmes coming through and it’s great to see the careers they have gone on to enjoy. I think the biggest highlight for me of playing in Super League was rediscovering my passion for the game and adding value to the teams I played for.”
Youngquest retired in 2012 and moved to New York to embark on a hugely successful modelling career which saw him work for Paco Rabanne for a decade. On his work at Athletes For Life, Youngquest added: “Athletes have such an influence on society and people expect them to speak up and impact societal change in a meaningful way.
“They don’t always knows how to do that, so we’re trying to provide that platform should they wish to do so. Sport has the ability to bring people together and there’s something special about rugby league. The Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon is going to be a super emotional and crazy event to be a part of. It will have a huge impact – not only in terms of raising money but also raising awareness of MND. It will be so empowering.”
Former Brisbane Broncos, North Queensland Cowboys and Queensland player Carl Webb is also battling MND. Youngquest added: “We’re thinking about the potential to have some fundraising events for MND charities here in Australia early in 2023 as a show of support for Carl. Even though as former rugby league players we have retired, we can still make a difference.”
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