Kevin Seinfeld's completion date is December 30, 2023

A gesture that goes beyond friendship. What the rugby player did can be summarized as follows Kevin Seinfeld Cross the finish line Marathon From Leeds carrying his friend Rob BurrowHe is also a former rugby champion and has lived in a wheelchair since 2019 due to a motor neuron disorder.

From the rugby field to diagnosis

Burrow, 40, played 16 years in rugby league, starting the championship at the age of 13. He was considered the “smallest player in the league” due to his height of 165 centimeters and weight of 70 kilograms. A little kid in a giant's sport. But his life suddenly changed when he was diagnosed with one of these diseases Motor neuron diseasesimilar to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Very little passed from discovery to diagnosis, after which his body was greatly weakened, forcing him to live in a wheelchair, with very little possibility of movement. But that doesn't mean the former England winger has given up. In fact, it continues to struggle to survive by communicating via a computer.

Leeds Marathon

In fact, despite being paralyzed, the former rugby player was able to complete the match Leeds Marathon, the first in 20 years dedicated to him. Best of all, this achievement was made possible by him To help a friend Absolutely, as well as the national team's defense coach, Kevin Sinfield.

The man pushed the wheelchair for a distance of 42 kilometers and 195 metres, then carried it across the finish line while carrying it in his arms, in a moment that had a great emotional impact. The race in the Yorkshire town has become a charity event to raise money for motor neuron disease, and Seinfeld has helped raise no less than the funds £8 million (€9.2 million) From the day of diagnosis to the friend.

Sunday's marathon and the half marathon that accompanied it raised another million euros. Precisely for this reason, the coach was very satisfied with the event: “Raising money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Leeds Hospital is important, but this was also a help.” Friendship Day. “He was important to the city and beyond.”

It is no coincidence that the English rugby world finds itself forced to ask an age-old question: Danger of blows to the head And its long-term consequences. In some cases, such as that of Ryan Jones, the former Wales captain, the link between the traumas he suffered during his career and the disease has already been established.

Career: Former rugby player

A former professional rugby player in the British Rugby League, he spent 16 years playing for Leeds Rhinos in the Premier League, before retiring in 2017. Representing the UK and UK, he spent his entire career with Leeds.

He was known for many years as the “Youngest Premier League Player”. Despite that, he is a rugby player Most successful In the history of the competition, having won a total of 8 Premier League titles and 2 Challenge Cups, he has been named in the Premier League Dream Team three times while also winning the Harry Sunderland Cup twice.

On December 19, 2019, information emerged that Burrow had been diagnosed with motor neuron disease. On 30 December 2020, he was awarded an OBE on New Year's Eve 2021 for his service to rugby league and the motor neurone disease community.