Runners raise more than than £1,770,000 for the MND Association at the 2023 Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon

“I met so many other people in the iconic MND Association vests, and I just hope that this has done a huge amount of good in raising the awareness of MND and getting more people to feel inspired to do crazy things for the charity! This was my first ever road marathon, and what a very special one. I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life.”

Sam was one of the 2273 amazing MND Association runners that took on the 2023 Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon. If you haven’t already registered to join #TeamMND in 2024 and run to raise money for the MND Association, you can do that here. Read more about Sam’s experience and the incredible money raised by all of the MND Association runners below.

An astonishing 2273 runners raised more than £1,770,000 for the MND Association at the 2023 Rob Burrow Leeds Marathon. Many of our runners had never attempted a marathon before, some decided to don their best fancy dress, and a few took it one step further by incorporating the marathon into a wider fundraising challenge. Together, they became one vibrant team with one important goal – to raise money for the MND Association to support all those affected by MND.

Sam was one of our special runners who completed her first ever road marathon at the event.

“I was so so impressed - seriously one of the best events I have ever taken part in. What a fantastic way to start and end inside Headingly Stadium. The course was tough, but the support along the roadside and at the aid stations was fab, and some people said better than London! And having Rob and Kev there was such a huge part of the day, I was a weepy mess at the start and the same at the end!! I met so many other people in the iconic MND Association vests, and I just hope that this has done a huge amount of good in raising the awareness of MND and getting more people to feel inspired to do crazy things for the charity!”

Joining Sam on the course were more than 12,000 people, including many inspiring people with MND who chose to take on the challenge alongside their support teams. It was a pleasure to meet so many of our runners and their families to say thank you in person – on route, inside Headingley Stadium and at our supporter hubs at BOX and Otley Garden. Our volunteer cheer squads around the course were fantastic and did us proud, encouraging the runners to push through when things got tough.

We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who fundraised to support our work – helping us continue to improve access to care for people with MND, funding vital research to find effective treatments and a cure, and campaigning on behalf of the MND community. We’re so delighted to already be welcoming runners to #TeamMND for the 2024 event, and look forward to supporting you over the coming year. If you’d like to register to run for the MND Association, please visit here