Latest news with #RobBurrow
BBC News
7 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Bradford 10k record broken by runner recovering from bad knee
A runner recovering from a bad knee set a new course record in a West Yorkshire 10k Jack Cummings knocked 15 seconds off the best time for the Epilepsy Action Bradford 10k race on 27-year-old's time of 30:47 broke the 6.2-mile course record of 31:02 set in 2013 by Tesfaye Cummings, who also won May's Rob Burrow Leeds half-marathon in 1:08:36, said the moment of victory in his latest win was "unreal". The personal trainer said: "I didn't actually know the record but since I've broken it, it's been lovely. "I used to be in the middle of the pack when running but I fell back in love with it about six years ago. "I really found my feet. I've had no special training and no coaches. "I've been recovering from a knee injury so when I completed the 10k, it felt unreal."This year's race celebrated Epilepsy Action's 75th anniversary as well as Bradford becoming UK City of Culture in 2025. The charity, which aims to improve the lives of people living with epilepsy, said this year's course was the flattest to date, taking runners through the newly pedestrianised streets of the city centre.
BBC News
14 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Redditch man walking more than 1,200 miles for MND awareness
A man is spending his summer walking more than 1,200 miles from Land's End to John O'Groats to raise money for a Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Courts is taking on the challenge - which he hopes will raise awareness of the illness - in memory of his grandfather, who died from MND last Redditch resident spoke to BBC Hereford and Worcester on Monday - the first anniversary of the death of rugby league legend and MND campaigner Rob Burrow, Courts, who has made it to Gloucester on his journey, said: "It's been tough, I've had a few blisters and knee pains, but I've had a lot of support so far and friends and family have been able to come and join in." The challenge will raise money for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and Birmingham City Football Club Courts said he had set aside 11 weeks for the walk, but planned to complete it in about 60 far, he has raised £2,445 towards his £5,000 fundraising page described how at the age of 11, he completed a charity walk with his he lost his relative, he decided he wanted to honour his memory by undertaking another route ahead will take him through the Peak District and Sheffield before he hikes the Pennine Way through the north of England. In Scotland, he will head north of Glasgow before hiking to Fort William to tackle Ben Nevis. Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
2 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Rob Burrow would be 'so proud' of Leeds MND centre, says Lindsey
Rob Burrow would be "incredibly proud" of the motor neurone disease (MND) treatment centre that bears his name, his widow Lindsey said on the first anniversary of his Leeds Rhinos star Burrow died on 2 June last year aged 41 after being diagnosed with MND in Rob Burrow Centre for Motor Neurone Disease is set to open at Seacroft Hospital in Leeds later this during a visit to the site, Lindsey Burrow said: "Ultimately that's what Rob wanted to do, to help other families." She told the BBC: "To have this centre for us as a family, as somewhere we can come to remember Rob and to be able to share that with other families that are in the same situation that we've been in, is incredibly special.""Rob would be incredibly proud, he was so humbled," Lindsey said."To have this centre, to have the marathon, it's just part of Rob's legacy and the amazing work that he's done for the MND community."He was the face of the MND community in the most difficult of circumstances but to have this, I think it really gives people hope." Burrow's parents Geoff and Irene were at Headingley Stadium - the home of Leeds Rhinos - on Saturday along with his sisters Joanne Hartshorne and Claire Burnett for the club's MND Awareness game against Wakefield Trinity."We have good and bad days - more bad than good at the moment," admitted Geoff."But Rob would want us to keep smiling and banging the drum for MND patients."A minute's applause was held for the former scrum-half and hooker before banners were displayed on the pitch, with one of them bearing his famous words: "In a world full of adversity we must dare to dream." Dr Agam Jung, consultant neurologist at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and director of the MND service at Leeds, was Burrow's consultant."Rob's legacy is about courage and dignity," she said."It's about changing the trajectory of the most cruel disease in the world and oh my goodness, that is something really special."She said she was "very pleased" with the progress at the site of the MND centre."It's a centre for hope and the MND community draws hope," Dr Jung said. The fundraising effort championed by Burrow and his Leeds Rhinos team-mate Kevin Sinfield raised millions for MND charities following Burrow's raised for the centre will allow researchers to launch projects aimed at reducing the time it takes to diagnose the league coach and Burrow's former team-mate Jamie Jones-Buchanan also paid tribute to the late star to mark the anniversary, saying Burrow's "spirit and what he stood for is very much alive at Leeds Rhinos, and I think it always will be"."Every opportunity we've got to remember Rob and what he brought to the club and gave so many fans, so many tens of thousands of people, will be a part of who we are for many, many years," he said. Sinfield announced last week that he would be running seven ultra marathons in seven days in seven regions to raise money for MND challenge will take place in December and will include marathons in Sheffield and hopes the campaign will raise £777,777."This has become less about running and more about bringing people together," he said. Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.
ITV News
2 days ago
- Sport
- ITV News
Rugby League fans remember Rob Burrow at MND awareness match
Rugby league fans have been remembering Rob Burrow on the eve of the anniversary of his death from Motor Neurone Disease. Rob's old team Leeds Rhinos welcomed local rivals Wakefield Trinity to Headingley for the MND Awareness game - made all the more poignant coming just 48 hours before the first anniversary of his passing last year on June 2. Rhinos players wore a unique kit for the game, with £10 from the sale of every replica shirt donated to the MND Association. They also paid tribute on the pitch before the game highlighting all the work Rob Burrow and his family have done to raise awareness of the disease. The kit for 2025, which has been approved by the Burrow family, features the iconic image of Rob from the 2011 Grand Final when he scored the greatest Old Trafford try of all time to help the Rhinos to Super League glory. However, the image is made up of the names of the 196 players that Rob played with for club and country during his illustrious career and is completed by the names of Rob's three children and his wife Lindsey for a total of 200 names. Leeds Rhinos Head of Media & PR Phil Daly said, 'Rob had so many incredible qualities but one thing that has really stood out over the last year is what a brilliant team mate he was. His former team mates have shared so many wonderful memories of times that Rob was central to, whether that was in the Rhinos squad or on representative duty with Yorkshire, England or Great Britain. 'After his MND diagnosis in December 2019, he became an inspirational team mate once again, this time to everyone in the MND community and put the spotlight on the disease to aid funding and awareness that has changed the future for those impacted by the disease.`' "We are so proud of Rob and the inspiration he gave us. On the field, he may have been small in stature, but on the field he was a giant and if anything when he got his diagnosis he went to a different level and what people probably don't realise is that he was a very private man, his family were very private but he knew that by opening his doors, and showing what living with MND was about, it would show people what needed to be done for this disease and he's done that and we will continue to do that, that's our promise to Rob and the Burrow family, we will continue to fright the cause for the MND community - until we've got a cure we will keep doing that." Rob's father, Geoff thanks the club for their unwavering support. "I cant put into words what the club has done for us, I've always supported Leeds, Rob's always played for Leeds, they've always been a top club but what they have done for Rob is off the scale." The match ended 22-18 to the Rhinos, putting them in third place in the Super League.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Leeds honour Rob Burrow and support people living with MND
This has been a fallow period in the history of Leeds Rhinos but, despite the distinct lack of class one of Super League's heavyweight clubs have shown on the field since their last league title eight years ago, the one thing they never fail at is delivering off-field occasions that fit the bill. Leeds' annual motor neurone disease awareness day has always been one of those but this year it had extra poignance, taking place two days before the first anniversary of Rob Burrow's death. The day itself was not only a wonderful and fitting tribute to Burrow, but a heartening reminder of how the Rhinos have continued to drive his mission to help support those living with MND and to try to find a cure. Advertisement Related: A London club winning Super League? That's the vision for the new Broncos Last year, the money raised by the event helped fund the new MND hospital in the city which will carry Burrow's name. This year, another bumper total will continue to support the MND community and, with dozens of Burrow's teammates present, Leeds wearing a one-off shirt bearing his image and his family delivering the match ball, this was an occasion to cherish. Burrow's father, Geoff, captivated the hearts of everyone in attendance pre-match when addressing the crowd, just as he did last year in the first game after his son's death. It is those heartfelt moments that make you realise just how intertwined this family have become with the Rhinos and the city of Leeds since Burrow's diagnosis in 2019. But Burrow would have craved one thing above all else here, you suspect: a Leeds victory. The last Leeds team to win a Grand Final in 2017 included Burrow, on what was the last match of a decorated playing career. Few would have imagined that in 2025, they would still be waiting to taste that feeling again. Advertisement This thrilling victory over Wakefield Trinity does not guarantee that the wait will end this year: far from it, in fact. It is realistic to assume that while Leeds may be the best of the rest, they are still a sizable distance behind the competition's leading pair of Hull KR and Wigan. But for the first time in a good while in this part of West Yorkshire, there is hope. For 40 minutes Leeds were dazzling, a throwback to the sides Burrow was at the heart of as the Rhinos swept aside all comers throughout the 2000s and 2010s. By the end, they were clinging on, but they kept Wakefield Trinity at bay. Brad Arthur, the Rhinos' head coach, said: 'There were plenty of reasons why we needed to get up today, most of all the emotion around Rob and his family. It's been a very special day. I hope it makes his family feel proud that the guys delivered.' Yet for all the drama and all the enjoyment that comes with watching Leeds this year, this day reminded you to take a step back and realise that some things simply matter more than winning and losing. Sport, in the end, is a moment to escape from the travails of everyday life. Advertisement The thousands of shirts you saw at every turn inside Headingley adorned with Burrow's name – worn by children too young to have seen him play and by adults who have been watching this team for decades – underlined that his legacy transcends the rugby field by a considerable distance. The adults were visibly moved by the unveiling on the pitch of two huge banners with Burrow's image as the players emerged. The work this club, Kevin Sinfield and the whole of British rugby league will continue to do will strengthen Burrow's legacy and support those who need it. The whole sport has pulled together in a commendable way. His story, his incredible courage and his extreme bravery in the face of a fight few could imagine encountering is what really matters. But as Leeds clung on here in the final moments, desperate to prove they belong among Super League's elite again, you almost felt it was meant to be that they would hold firm on a day such as this.
