By PHIL CAPLAN
THE first anniversary of Rob Burrow’s passing on June 2 2024 was never going to be without mass commemoration and tribute.
It began with the staging of the second Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon, Rob’s wife Lindsey leading the charge completing the full course, thousands of runners coming for all parts to raise money for a multitude of causes.
The iconic image from the inaugural staging in 2023 saw Kevin Sinfield lift his former team mate out of the wheelchair he had pushed round the gruelling North Leeds circuit, and carry Rob over the line.
Sinfield, who this time finished alongside Jamie Jones-Buchanan and ultra marathons compadre Dave Spencer told the crowds at the start that Burrow would be: “Looking down on us, proud as punch of what we have created here. He sent the sunshine.”
Much of the £10m total Sinfield has raised across a number of MND causes has included funding of the Rob Burrow Centre for MND at Seacroft Hospital, approximately half of the £6.8m required which, despite a break in, is due to open soon.
Sinfield has also announced his sixth annual challenge which will again see him and his team take on seven ultra marathons in 7k blocks in as many days from December 1-7 2025.
It’s called 7 in 7: Together and simultaneously released was the premiere of Running for Rob at the Everyman cinema in Leeds covering the fifth challenge, the first without Rob being present on the finish line.
It is framed by that and, alongside the stirring MND stories, the headline is the injury Sinfield suffered two weeks out which nearly scuppered him and the lengths physio Dave O’Sullivan goes to – allied to Sinfield’s phenomenal drive and high pain threshold – to keep him moving.
The logistics of the venture are explored including pitfalls such as a recalcitrant battleship in Liverpool and not having seats booked on a flight from Belfast to Glasgow, while Hull emerges as the city that gave the most astonishing welcome.
Director at Ram Films, who again made the documentary, Jimmy Bray commented: “The phrase that Kev uses the most is ‘banging the drum’ and the definition of that is the same noise repeated and it made me think that it doesn’t necessarily have to be different, but we need to keep going.
“To take something so dark and shine a light on it is brilliant, that’s the impact.”
Sinfield noted to the assembled audience: “None of us signed up for this,” taking a moment to compose himself.
“You see us putting our bodies through a whole lot but we are alright a couple of days afterwards, we might be a bit depleted battery-wise, but our bodies fix themselves, people with MND don’t have that luxury and that’s why we continue.
“The thing has snowballed but I guess the message for everyone is ‘can you just do a little bit’ and the running has enabled me to get fulfilment from making connections, we’ve gained so much from trying to help.”
Meanwhile, the third and final documentary Burrow helped produce with BBC Breakfast was nominated for a National TV award, Lindsey, Macy and Maya on the pitch at Castleford urging fans to vote at half time of their game with Leeds.
On the Saturday leading into the anniversary, Rhinos hosted their annual MND Awareness game against Wakefield coached by Daryl Powell, who gave Burrow his full debut as a teenager in 2001.
A magnificent occasion, Burrow’s former colleagues Francis Cummins, Keith Senior and Matt Diskin were interviewed on the pitch by another Barrie McDermott, before Rob’s father Geoff – who carried the ball out with wife Irene and daughters Claire and Joanne – brought the South Stand to tears.
Giant flags of Rob were unveiled as ‘Opera Man’ John Innes sung Nessun Dorma and a montage of Burrow footage played on the big screen to the soundtrack of Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, a favourite of Robs.
Around 16,000 fans produced a highly charged, hugely emotional atmosphere creating a rousing tribute with their minute’s applause before kick off.
Leeds wore a specially commissioned shirt for the game which featured an image of Burrow from the 2011 grand final when he scored his sensational solo try, made up of the names of the 196 players that he played with alongside his three children and Lindsey.
Rather than a single game, this should be an entire dedicated round for the rugby league community as a whole to show their undoubted support, like the NRL’s ‘Beanies for Brain Cancer’ for the Mark Hughes Foundation which will be held on their round 17 in late June.
The residual message throughout all these events is one of hope; that the research trials and clinical studies will bring a cure nearer, that the grants available now offer more practical help for sufferers and their families, and that there is additional counselling for all who have MND brought into their lives.
Speaking in an interview with The Times Lindsey said: “We talk about Rob every day. We have a little memory jar and every so often we’ll take the memories out and talk about Rob as a family. The children have made memory books at school with the teachers.
“I don’t think, as a society, we do talk about our lost loved ones — probably for fear of getting upset – but I’ve actually found that it helps keep their memory alive.”
In the documentary she adds: “I’ve kept myself busy and occupied with the funeral and writing a book, but I don’t know if I’ve accepted it.
“I find myself thinking about what could have been, the difficult part is Rob’s not here to see the kid’s milestones when I hear things like Macy say to Jackson, ‘Will you walk me down the aisle?'”