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As I write this Blog, we’ve just passed US$100,000 in fund-raising on the official Moodie Multi-National Marathon fund-raising site. The big event takes place on 15-18 June (with some variations, see below).
That’s a lot of money for Hand in Hand for Haiti, travel retail’s own charity that not only funds, but runs, the wonderful Lycée Jean Baptiste Point du Sable school in Saint Marc, Haiti.
You could practically hear the collective whoop from the various Moodie bureaux all around the world as we broke the US$100k mark. Melody Ng in Singapore, incapacitated by an ankle injury, will be covering the DFS Singapore team effort on 22 June; our man in Auckland Peter Dowling is out pounding the streets ready for his big run; over in Galway, on the west coast of Ireland, Dermot Davitt is priming himself to get through the pain barrier with the thought of the long cool pints of Guinness that will follow; while our fastest Mann of all, yes, that’s right, Rebecca Mann (below), is treading the light fantastic in deepest Essex (and at numerous fragrance launches where she always does a lap or two of the room in high heels and with Champagne glass steady in order to maintain prime condition) in her efforts to record a personal best.
[You’re the Mann! Rebecca in training]
Another Moodie team member, John Rimmer was last spotted somewhere in Poland where he’s watching the Euros football championship and where he promises to do his run in instalments, breaking into a gallop every time England scores a goal. As a result he’s expected to complete the marathon in 2030.
Matt Willey, our digital guru, told me rather unconvincingly over a pint in our local pub yesterday that he’s training hard. I asked him to tweet our readership as he completes the distance just so we have confirmation. “Sure,” he said, ordering another pint.
Me? Well as reported, I’m walking my one-sixth of a marathon, accompanied by my Golden Labrador Mickali (posing below), in order to maintain my proud journalistic tradition of always following a strong lead.
We’ve got our route all mapped out, which will include a dip in the local pond for Mickali to keep her fresh, though her chances of becoming the first canine triathlete are currently compromised by her total inability on a bicycle.
Enough about our own team – what’s happening around the world this weekend is little short of incredible. Some 170 teams have already signed up and there are scores more of individual runners taking part in mass runs in locations such as Singapore and Hong Kong.
And you know, the total in the pot is a whole lot more than US$100k. DFS alone has raised over US$180k, only some of which is via the official site. That means the total has now soared over US$200k!! (I NEVER use exclamation marks but this justifies the exception). ‘Amazeballs’, as Rebecca Mann has just told me the youth of today say…
DFS President Stores & Business Development Michael Schriver has surged to the top of the fund-raising leaderboard with a magnificent late burst (no doubt likely to be echoed in this weekend’s run) to US$10,300.
Michael told me that some 1,500 DFS management and employees will be taking part this weekend in the marathon. “I am proud of our team,” he said. Rightly so, that is just magnificent, company-wide buy-in.
And a special tribute to TFWA. How about this? The team, led by Managing Director and ace runner Alain Maingreaud (pictured third from right in the ‘TFWA Flying Team’ below) has canvassed support not just from within the full-time staff, but from its partners too. Several teams, featuring 60 runners from the City of Cannes, The Carlton Hotel, other Cannes hoteliers and Creative Spirit – in addition to TFWA members and staff – will run their Moodie Multi-National Marathon later this week. That’s by the trade, for the trade, beyond the call of duty (free) for the trade. Fantastic.
It’s a huge occasion. Just stop and think about it. Our industry, all around the world, numerous nationalities, ages, levels of fitness… all unified by a common cause this weekend, all having fun, and all demonstrating that we work in the most generous industry on the planet. Send us your pictures and videos of the big event, we’ll publish them all. Let the Games begin…
Good luck Mickali,the bona fido Moodie newshound.