England rugby league great Kevin Sinfield has shown incredible class at the Leeds Marathon, stopping short of the finish to carry stricken friend Rob Burrow over the finish-line.
Renamed after Burrow, who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in 2019, the marathon saw a long distance event return to Leeds for the first time in 20 years, with more than 12,000 participants.
Sinfield, 42, pushed Burrow for more than 42 kilometres in a specially adapted wheelchair to the finish at Headingley Stadium - home of Leeds Rhinos, where he and Burrows both played.
With their destination in sight, Sinfield picked Burrow up to carry his friend across the final metres, as the pair completed the distance together.
"Leeds is such a wonderful city and I am so grateful for all the support the city has shown, not just for me and my family, but for the event and the entire MND community," Burrow told the BBC.
Since Burrow's diagnosis, Sinfield has raised more than eight million pounds (NZ$16 million) for motor neurone disease charities.
In 2020, he ran seven ultra-marathons in seven days and the following year completed 162km in 24 hours.
Motor neurone disease is a degenerative illness that attacks the body's nerve cells, particularly in the brain and spinal cord.
Most people diagnosed die within three years of symptoms first appearing.
