Rhinos season ticket holder Craig Smith has pledged his support for one of his sporting heroes by joining the Run with the Rhinos team for the Leeds 10k to help raise money for the Rob Burrow Fund.
Craig, who has been a season ticket holder for almost 20 years and even married his wife Vicky at Headingley, was one of hundreds of runners who planned to do the Leeds 10K in July before the pandemic resulted in the event being postponed until November.
Now with a new date set for November 22, Craig is ready to get on his running shoes for the 10K and has persuaded Vicky and two of his work colleagues, Charlie Galbraith and Ian Slattery to join him.
“We all agreed to do the 10K at the beginning of the year,” said Craig. “Having been a fan of the club for as long as I can remember, I have many special memories from supporting the Rhinos and Rob Burrow has provided so many of those unforgettable moments.
“Like many fans, we are all devastated to see Rob facing his battle with MND and we wanted to do what we could to support him. My wife, who attends the games with me was keen to do the 10K and I convinced my colleagues at work to join me. Although they are not Rhinos fans, they wanted to do this for Rob and Leeds Rhinos Foundation.
“Hearing of anyone afflicted with such a disease is heartbreaking, but as a lifelong fan it really resonated with me, as it has with countless others. Running the Leeds 10K gives us the opportunity to do something that will raise funds for the Rhinos Foundation, Rob and his family in their time of need.”
All money raised from this year’s Run with The Rhinos will be split between Leeds Rhinos Foundation and the Rob Burrow Fund, which has been set up to support the former Rhinos star and his young family following his recent Motor Neurone Disease (MND) diagnosis.
“I know a lot of charities are struggling at the moment due to the COVID-19 crisis,” added Craig. “So, it’s important that if we can do something we should still try to fundraise for them so they continue the work they do.
“We all run a bit. My wife has run the Yorkshire Marathon and we have done the Abbey Dash a few times so we are just trying to keep up with some running to prepare us. I like to do the Park Runs, but as hard as I try I am unable to beat Ian’s time, so I think he might be the fastest in our team on the day!”
If you would like to support Craig in his fundraising efforts CLICK HERE
Over 100 people have now signed up for the Leeds 10k, including Rhinos legends Kevin Sinfield, Barrie McDermott, Jamie Peacock, Keith Senior, Richard Mathers, Brett Delaney and Chev Walker.
Run With The Rhinos 2020 takes place at the Run For All Leeds 10k on 22nd November. Entry is £27 and all runners will receive a race T-shirt and invite to an exclusive post-race party.
There is a minimum fundraising suggestion of £50 and this can be done by visiting www.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/runwiththerhinos2020.
You can request a sponsorship form and get more information on the Run With the Rhinos team by contacting ben.berry@leedsrhinosfoundation.org.
To sign up for the Run With The Rhinos team visit the ‘Events’ page at tickets.therhinos.co.uk.