Kevin Sinfield received an incredible standing ovation after completing his ultramarathon challenge at Old Trafford, Sinfield ran 300 miles from Edinburgh to Manchester across the last seven days to raise money for motor neurone disease charities.
The cause is one close to his heart, with his charitable efforts inspired by his former teammate and friend Rob Burrow who was diagnosed with the illness in 2019. His remarkable effort finally came to an end on Saturday at the perfect venue, as Sinfield arrived at Old Trafford for the men's and women's Rugby League World Cup finals.
Upon his completion Sinfield made his way out onto the Old Trafford turf and was unsurprisingly greeted with a hero's welcome by those packed inside for the two World Cup finales.
The emotional final star then gave a speech to the crowd, thanking the Rugby League community for their remarkable support to his challenge and the cause. Speaking to BBC Sport, Sinfield told Old Trafford: "I think you all know why [he completed the challenge]."
Naming his inspiration, he went on: "Rob Burrow, Doddie Weir, Stephen Darby, Ed Slater, the full MND community. The full Rugby League community have got behind the MND community, I can't thank you enough."
Paying tribute to Burrow, Sinfield added: "I know everyone feels the same way as I do about Rob Burrow. He is an absolute champion.
"The way the Burrow family have been so courageous and brave, we just wanted to be a great friend and if we all tried to be a bit of better friend from time to time I think we would have a better place to live in."
The former Leeds Rhinos man had enjoyed plenty of success on the the Old Trafford pitch, having captained his side to seven Super League Grand final titles in the famous stadium. This achievement though was arguably one of his greatest, having raised over £1.3 million for the cause as he made his way onto the playing field.
