An emotional Kevin Sinfield carried his friend and former rugby teammate Rob Burrow over the finish line at the Leeds Marathon.

Sinfield had pushed Leeds Rhinos legend Burrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019, for 26.2 miles in a specially adapted wheelchair and the pair completed the course together in front of a cheering crowd at Headingley Stadium.

A former rugby league player and current coach for England, Sinfield has raised more than £8m for MND charities, including an Ultra 7 in 7 Challenge in November when he ran seven back-to-back ultra-marathons.

In late 2020, Sinfield ran seven marathons in seven days and in 2021 he completed a run of 101 miles in 24 hours.

As the pair finished the race on Sunday, Sinfield gave Burrow a kiss of affection after joining 12,500 other runners in Leeds’ first marathon in 20 years.

Sinfield said on Friday: “To raise money for the MND Association and the Leeds Hospitals Charity is really important, but this is also about a celebration of friendship.”

Burrow, 40, spent his entire professional career with the Leeds Rhinos and also represented England and Great Britain on the national stage.

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He was known a prolific scorer, nicknamed by commentators “Little Rob Burrow” because of his height, just 5ft 5in.

Speaking in 2020 shortly after his diagnosis was announced, he said that he “doesn’t want people feeling sorry for me”.

He added: “I’m not putting my head down and sulking, I’m just keeping positive and getting on with it.”

MND is a degenerative illness that attacks the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.

The majority of those diagnosed with the condition die within three years of detecting symptoms.

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