Banding together for the run

by Martin Moodie |
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Martin Moodie

Martin Moodie is the Founder & Chairman of The Moodie Report.

Band on the run cover

Word reaches The Moodie Blog of some extraordinary training efforts taking place for The Moodie Report Great Travel Retail Educathlon – the 2013 follow-up to the hugely successful Moodie Multi-National Marathons of the past two years, which have raised over US$650,000 across the worldwide travel retail community.

To be held between 28-30 June, the event encourages participants from the travel retail industry to  complete 7k on any of the chosen days in any location in the world. But in a new twist, they can complete the distance by any means at all – including walking, running, cycling, swimming, flying, ballooning, rowing, surfing, triathloning – the more creative the better.

Donations can be made either to specific registered participants or into a central race fund, with the money raised going to a group of local regional educational charities or schools nominated by some of the world’s leading travel retailers and industry bodies.

banned on the run sunil[Stepping out: Tuli madly deeply takes to the roads]

We’ve already reported how King Power Group (HK) Travel Retail & Duty Free Managing Director Sunil Tuli (above) is set to extract a US$3,500 donation from me (on a a personal basis) if he completes the 7k (by foot rather than in his Mercedes).

To help him on his mission he has joined a team dubbed ‘Band on the Run’ (named after the 1973 Paul McCartney & Wings album of the same name), together with well-known industry executives (and various degrees of musical talents) Jessica Howells, David Spillane, Barry Geoghegan, plus Jessica’s husband Jon Howells and Billy Norman, well known in travel retail as head of the Billy Norman Band, which has played many an industry event with distinction.

I’ll let the team take up the story: “Given the questionable ‘musical’ talents and lost showbiz ambitions of our team members, we’ve chosen to name our team Band On The Run. It’s also a tribute to the rock and roll nature of working in the travel retail industry; be it global travel and touring, consistent late nights and crossing time zones, to taking on the appearance of aged rockers as the twilight years beckon.” 

Great stuff. These rockers of the travel retail roads have already raised a remarkable £5,025 (US$7,700), well on the way to reaching an ambitious target of £10,000. Throw in my US$3,500 if Sunil makes it across the line and they’re looking good.

You can help give wings to Band on the Run by donating here – http://charitygiving.co.uk/jessicahowells

For exclusive, shocking video coverage of Sunil in training click here (those of a nervous disposition are reminded that the film may contain disturbing images and flickering, albeit slow, movement).

Footnote: As I completed this Blog, even more disturbing film footage from the Tuli training camp reached me. Click here  to view. To ensure no more of this material reaches me or our readers, I have decided to pay up the US$3,500 immediately. As a result, Band on the Run is now up to £7,283.06…

Band on the Run training

[Marshal Law: Sunil Tuli seen training in Dubai last week with his bag man David Spillane carrying the official team respirator]

Band on the Run 2

 

[Licking the distance: David Spillane and Billy Norman at bass camp]