Kevin Sinfield: Leeds Rhinos legend expects 101-mile challenge to be 'torturous'

Former Leeds captain Kevin Sinfield has acknowledged his attempt to run 101 miles in 24 hours will be "horrible".

The Leicester Tigers coach is going to run from Welford Road to Headingley on Monday to raise money for Motor Neurone Disease research.

His ex-Leeds Rhinos team-mate Rob Burrow was diagnosed with MND in 2019 and Sinfield raised £2.7m last year by running seven marathons in seven days.

"I want it to be horrible and unpleasant," he told BBC Radio Leeds.

"A big part of the challenge is mental. There's physical parts of it that are going to hurt and be horrible but I think mentally every hour some of it is going to be torturous.

"Emotionally it's going to be tough, as I found last year, when you understand what you're running for and how important it is it does make it a little more difficult.

"Training has been tough but we won't really know until we're 18,19 or 20 hours in. I know there are a lot of uncertainties and unknowns."

The 41-year-old, who was awarded an OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours for fundraising and services to rugby league in June, has set an initial target of £100,000 for The Extra Mile Challenge.

The route will be split into 7km sections and he must complete each one within 60 minutes as the next will start on the hour.

"I do feel like we'll be winging it but I felt like that last year," he added.

"I did the London Marathon at the start of October and I've ticked over and upped the kilometres but I've not been for any long runs because it's the time. Time is precious and with the travel and the new job and family, it's been really difficult.

"When I started to research and understand about running 100 miles it says you need six to nine months prep to go from marathon to that distance. I've never run further than a marathon before and we've given ourselves six weeks. If you go after it crazily you're going to get injured."

Sinfield was Burrow's captain as the Rhinos enjoyed a hugely successful spell between 2004 and 2015 and he said his friend could not believe he was undertaking such a huge challenge.

"He just burst out laughing when I told him which was brilliant and was the response I expected," Sinfield said.

"Every time I see him I get that big smile on his face, that spirit is there. He's so happy to get visits but he's massively humbled by everything people have done over the past two years."

On Sunday the government pledged to put at least £50m over five years into research in a bid to find a cure for MND.