Charlie Bird will join rugby legend in Dublin ultramarathon to raise funds for MND

A former RTÉ broadcaster and Motor Neurone Disease (MND) advocate will take part in the final stage of an ultra marathon in Dublin in two weeks. 

Charlie Bird, who lives with MND, will join England Rugby League legend, Kevin Sinfield OBE, for the last mile of the marathon – taking place this Tuesday December 5 – with the support of several Irish sporting stars. 

Sinfield created the 7 in 7 in 7 ultra marathon challenge to raise funds for MND charities including the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association. 

The challenge will see Sinfield and his team run an ultra marathon every day for seven days in seven cities around Ireland and Great Britain. 

Each run will be a marathon with an extra mile to signify the extra mile people can all go to help their friends in tough times. 

Covering a distance of almost 44KM, Sinfield will set off from Croke Park on his personal challenge at 12 noon with his route taking him through parts of Phibsborough, Ashtown, the Phoenix Park, Inchicore, Crumin, Rathgar, UCD, and finishing at the Aviva Stadium at around 4pm. 

Charlie – who is one of 450 people living with MND in Ireland – will join the marathon at UCD at a stage called the Extra Mile, which sees invited guests join Sinfield for one mile towards the end of the marathon. 

Since 2020, Sinfield and his team have reportedly raised over £8 million (almost €9.2M) with three endurance events that have captured the public’s imagination, having been inspired by Sinfield’s former Leeds Rhinos team mate Rob Burrow MBE. 

Commenting on his latest challenge, Sinfield said, “I am very happy to hear Charlie will be joining me in Dublin for the Extra Mile through to the end of the race; it means a lot to get his support and I was so inspired by everything he has done for the MND community in Ireland with the Climb with Charlie campaign. 

“I know that former Antrim GAA captain Anto Finnegan also did so much to raise awareness for the MND community and I am delighted that his family hope to join us at the start line at Croke Park.

“Physically this will be my toughest challenge as I have not been able to do the amount of training that I have done previously because of my commitments for the World Cup and we have set an ambitious time target to complete each ultra so people know that we will be pushing ourselves to the limit.

“I am looking forward to it and seeing all the support out on the streets once again. For the MND community, every second counts and we will be making the most of every step on this challenge to raise awareness, funds and support for that community. I would especially like to thank all the local authorities and councils who have given us their support, it means so much to everyone.” 

Charlie, who recently received a special award from Taoiseach Leo Varadkar for Climb with Charlie, said, “It is a privilege to join in the Extra Mile with Kevin and his team; it is such an incredible task he is undertaking and I wanted to extend the hand of friendship and support in any way I can.

“What Kevin has done for the MND community in the UK is astonishing, and I look forward to joining him on 5th December for what is sure to be a wonderful occasion.” 

The CEO of the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association, Lillian McGovern, said, “Both Charlie and Kevin’s unwavering commitment to raising awareness for MND is admirable and we are very thankful to be part of this incredible challenge. We look forward to joining Kevin and Charlie in Dublin on Tuesday 5th December to cheer them on.

“Any funds raised will help us improve our services and supports available to people living with MND in Ireland and their families.”

Supporters can show their support for the challenge here.