YorkMix reporting team: Saskia Clark, Tianie Cummings and Lauren Allen
Hundreds of people gathered in York today to cheer on Sir Kevin Sinfield as he arrived for day two of his massive fundraising challenge.
The Princess Royal also joined him and his supporters at the University of York athletics track as part of the event.
Sir Kevin is completing an ultra marathon every day for seven days in his ‘7 in 7: The Grand Finale’ venture.
It’s his final endurance event to raise money for motor neurone disease charities.
At the university sports centre he was greeted by Princess Anne along with scores of well-wishers.
As the pair chatted, Sir Kevin agreed with the royal visitor that the term “fun run” was a “contradiction”.
Anne said: “I can run but I don’t do it for fun. I’m past that stage.”
Sir Kevin said: “Well, you’re welcome to join at any point”, and one of his team said nobody has ever joined them for a leg on a horse.
Anne laughed and said: “That would be nice.”
She asked Sir Kevin if he was enjoying the sunny weather, but he replied: “If I’m being brutally honest, I’d love it to be bouncing down”, telling the Princess Royal that it helps with fundraising if people watching on TV think he is having hard time.
When she asked him about his diet and nutrition for the runs, Sir Kevin said he would let her into his secret about how he is fuelled by bacon butties.
The royal visitor watched as Sir Kevin did four laps of the university’s athletics track with his supporters and then banged a drum seven times to send him on his way.
She also chatted to people who had come to support the event, including many living with MND.
Sir Kevin has been a longtime supporter of the MND Association after the loss of his best friend and rugby league legend Rob Burrow, who passed away in 2024 after battling the disease.
Chief executive of the MND Association, Tanya Curry, told YorkMix: “It’s phenomenal, you can see the energy Kevin brings – he literally inspires the whole community.
“So, for us that’s not just about fundraising, although that’s really important, it’s about making sure people have heard about this disease and know the impact of it.”
Sir Kevin was also joined by former England Rugby Union captain Lewis Moody, who was diagnosed with the condition last year.
Sir Kevin was running through York this afternoon, heading to his final stop, Bishopthorpe