Sunil sets sizzling early pace in the Great Travel Retail Educathlon

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

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King Power Group (HK) Travel Retail & Duty Free Managing Director Sunil Tuli is setting a sizzling early training and fund-raising pace in The Moodie Report Great Travel Retail EDUCATHLON to raise funds for children’s education worldwide.

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.

Sunil, who is also President of the Asia Pacific Travel Retail Association (APTRA), has set about training for the Educathlon in earnest after I rather unfairly suggested over dinner that he might struggle to complete one kilometre let alone seven. From there, things started to get out of hand. I’ll let Sunil take up the story (and the running).

“The (Moodie) man’s generosity and immense desire to see me fall flat on my face brought a tear to my eyes. How could I refuse? On the third bottle of Sauvignon Blanc (Kim Crawford from Marlborough, New Zealand), Martin said he would personally donate 500 dollars (US Dollars, I hope, not the Kiwi Dollar, for charity), for every kilometre I did. So I have taken up the challenge. My team has registered under the name ‘Band on the Run’, and includes David Spillane, Billy Norman, Jess and Jon Howells, Barry Geoghegan and me.

“That’s a good start. US $3,500 already in the name of the charity.

“On behalf of our team, I will match that amount, so that’s US$7000 now.

March 26th 2013, the challenge began. 3 months to go. And the training has begun. See picture [and video on a new updated Educathlon website -Ed]. Step one was to stop smoking. And now look out for the lean, mean, sex machine…”

Look out indeed. For Sunil in training; for the new website; and for others from the travel retail industry preparing to complete 7k in a series of conventional and bizarre ways for some great educational causes this June. More, much more, to follow.

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  • Sunil,

    Take this as encouragement, between the Sunil I knew when you first arrived in Singapore and the Sunil now, it has been a 20 odd year run(duty free as well), except for that paunchy you carry before you, looks like you may make the next 20 well into Greater China…..Great course… like to contribute S$50 for every km you cover as well…

  • Sunil, what are you talking about… You still have to get past step one! Don’t you remember, we smoked nearly a pack between us at Art & Nancy’s last Saturday.
    So far I fear we wil only see a not so lean , very mean, lying machine . That said I will offer 100 Sgd for every Km you (personally) actually run.