On the 14th of May 2023 I will be running the Leeds Marathon for the Leeds Hospitals Charity alongside my good friend Jordan Heaton. I will be helping - alongside many others - to support Rob Burrows appeal for a MND (Motor Neurone Disease) Care Centre in Leeds, to give people living with MND the best quality of life.

When I first heard about Rob Burrow being diagnosed with MND, I was completely shocked. Growing up in Ireland I was a big lover of rugby union. It was only when I came to study at University of Huddersfield that I found my interest/participation in rugby league and soon I started to learn who Rob Burrow really was.

I remember searching him on YouTube and watching his highlight reels. The one thing that really stood out to me is it didn’t matter what size you were; the stigma around rugby that you had to be tall, big and strong, didn’t really mean anything. Rob Burrow really did show those people up and smashed it every game he played in. I even got to witness him play in his last grand final in Old Trafford against Castleford Tigers. Unfortunately I am a Cas Tigers fan but I still appreciated the occasion it was and how well he played and what it meant to him, as well the Leeds fans.

What Rob Burrow did on that field has been reflected through what he has done for the MND community. I feel the MND community has a huge significance within the whole of the rugby community. You cannot forget to mention Doddy Weir and what he has done for the MND community. Alongside Rob, he has had such enormous impacts, not just on MND, but on everyone in the U.K and the world.

Rob and Doddy both have sparked something in me to challenge myself. So why not a Marathon and why not my first marathon? I know it is not as impressive as Kevin Sinfields 7 Ultra-Marathons in 7 days…but perhaps that is next on my list 😉.

So I have set up this page, not just to donate, but to track my progress and for me to keep you updated on my training and as well as my friend Jordan’s. Alongside my training, I will be still playing rugby union which I hope will help me further develop my marathon training.