Sinfields on different routes to Old Trafford as Kevin finishes ultramarathon and son Jack prepares for Grand Final debut
Kevin Sinfield will complete the final leg of his seventh fundraising ultramarathon at Old Trafford on Saturday, the same day his son Jack is due to play for Wakefield Trinity in the Super League Grand Final. The run, which supports those living with motor neurone disease, passed through Wakefield on Wednesday ahead of the match.
Leeds has been central to the Sinfield family’s Super League story for more than 20 years, but attention this week has shifted about 10 miles to Wakefield as Jack prepares to make his first appearance at Old Trafford. The 22-year-old will play for Wakefield as they bid to secure their maiden Super League title, while his father, a long-serving figure in the sport, has been present at every Grand Final he has contested.
Sinfield Sr’s challenge is the seventh fundraising effort he has undertaken for motor neurone disease and will conclude with the last leg of his seventh ultramarathon in seven days at the Grand Final. He is scheduled to carry the match ball into the stadium ahead of Wakefield’s showdown with Warrington Wolves.
“When he planned this last challenge and for it to finish at Old Trafford, I don’t think even he could have imagined that I would be playing in it,” the 22-year-old says with a smile. “So it’s worked out pretty well, right?”
Kevin’s fundraising activities continued from Wakefield’s stadium on Wednesday morning, when he delivered a message of good luck to the Trinity squad before setting off. “It was really nice to see him this morning before he set off,” the half‑back said on Wednesday. “I’ve missed him a lot when he’s been away because I’m still living at home, so it’s really weird around the house without him! I’m hoping I’ll see him on Thursday when he goes past home and he runs up near our neck of the woods. But I’m so proud of him.”
Jack cites the 2015 Grand Final, his father’s final match as a player which ended in victory and saw Leeds complete the treble, as his favourite rugby memory. “I’ve got that picture on my phone still,” he says when reflecting on a family photo from that game. “It was a pretty special moment – hopefully there’s a chance to have another picture this weekend.” He also recalled his first rugby league match: “My first ever rugby league game was the 2004 final when I was three weeks old. I have been to every single one of the Grand Finals my dad has played in but the last one really stands out in 2015 for all the right reasons.”
Jack’s playing career has followed a different path to his father’s: after coming through Leeds’s academy he was unable to force his way into the first team and moved last winter to Wakefield, drawn by the club’s stated ambitions. He has become a regular contributor as Wakefield have progressed to within one win of a first league title in almost 60 years. “It’s been a dream of mine to go there one day and emulate him and win one. As soon as I spoke to the club, I knew I wanted to come here. They’re growing, they’re hungry to go and win things and so am I.” Kevin’s role in delivering a first league title to Leeds in over 30 years in 2004 is noted in the family’s history of success.
“I’ve spoken to him a little bit but obviously he’s just been really tired,” Jack says of his father during the build-up. “Hopefully we can celebrate together after … I just hope he gets a shower first.” The Sinfields will be reunited at Old Trafford on Saturday for Wakefield’s Grand Final against Warrington Wolves, with Kevin finishing his fundraising ultramarathon and Jack contesting the match for the first time.