Prince William pays tribute to Rob Burrow – as friend begins ‘gruelling challenge’

Prince William has sent a good luck message to a former rugby league star who has begun a gruelling challenge in memory of Rob Burrow.

Kevin Sinfield will run more than 50km a day for a week to raise money for motor neurone disease charities after the death in June of his former teammate – which the Prince of Wales called a “fitting tribute”.

In a video message recorded at Windsor, William said: “Catherine and I just wanted to wish you the very best of luck for what’s going to be a very gruelling week.

“What you and Rob have achieved has been incredible and it’s a very fitting tribute to his legacy, what you’re achieving again this week. I’m sure you’ll be running with him in your mind the whole way round.”

William, who surprised Burrow and Sinfield by presenting them with their CBEs in January, added: “So the very best of luck from Catherine and I. We’ll be thinking of you all week.”

Sinfield’s Running Home for Christmas challenge will see him cover more than 350km in seven days.

The week-long run will take him from Liverpool to Northampton, via cities including Manchester, Belfast, Glasgow and Hull.

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Sinfield, 44, hopes to raise £777,777, in a nod to Burrow’s shirt number 7, and donations will be split between six MND charities.

He began fundraising after Burrow was diagnosed with the rare neurological condition in December 2019 and has so far raised more than £16m.

Burrow’s diagnosis came less than two years after the end of his playing career, and he threw himself into raising awareness of the condition and helping to raise funds to find a cure before his death at 41.

Speaking ahead of the challenge, Sinfield said: “I don’t want this to be sad. We’ve lost a great man, but he’ll want us to rip into this and have a smile on our face and do it justice, do him justice.”