Community Run in Honour of Former Teacher Reid Kempe

Feb 9

It was a sunny Tuesday afternoon on the January 30. The students were in a buoyant mood as the 8th annual Reid Kempe Memorial run was about to get underway. The route this year was a three-mile race around the school field, up past the squash club, as well as Dunkley’s dairy and a trek through the railway trail before the students make their way back to the school campus again where the finish line would be waiting for them.

*Pictured: The Kempe Family with the Chicane, a classic yacht which Reid restored over 24 years in Dockyard*

Reid Kempe was a former Somersfield Academy English teacher and is also well known for sailing in the Olympics in 1992. He was diagnosed with a rare and uncurable form of cancer in February of 2015. He tragically died six months later at the age of 64. Reid had three children – Justin, Zoe, and Jonathan.

Before the race, the competitive spirit between the school houses, the Makos and the Tigers, was palpable. They warmed up in their respective groups led by their house captains and teachers Mrs. Young and Ms. Sweeney, who were exuding school spirit, leading chants and huddles. With the Tigers having come out victorious in this event last year, they were motivated to retain their title. On the other hand, the Makos sought to redeem themselves.

Several of Reid’s family were in attendance, including his daughter Zoe who runs the event every year. I reached out to Zoe to ask her what this event means to her and her family. “My family and I are so touched that Somersfield continues to honor my dad's legacy and the impact he had on the school by hosting this run in memory of him every year. We love attending and witnessing the energy and efforts put in by all the students.”

Despite everything going on in her life, nothing has stopped Zoe from participating. This shows how much this event, and honouring her father means to her. She said “I have participated in this event every year and my speed in which doing so has varied greatly! One year I did it with the flu, another year I was seven months pregnant with my son Archer and last year I ran it 11 weeks after having my daughter Harlow.”

Zoe recalled how running was a big part of her father Reid’s life, saying “One of my favorite memories of my dad before he got sick was actually when we were out running together. I was training for a half marathon at the time and Dad wanted to accompany me on one of my runs. I planned to run a little further and then catch up with him on the run back. I was running home and saw a young guy running up ahead and wondered where my dad was. As I caught up to him, the young guy was actually my dad! Dad was fit and had an amazing running style, so he made it look effortless. It was only a few weeks later that dad fell ill and we discovered he had cancer. That was our last run together sadly so every run I go on, it's always in honour of him and a way to connect with him. So this event means a lot to us in many ways. I think my dad would have been moved to tears to know this event was held in his memory. He would never have expected something like this to be done in his honour and that is one of the things that made him so amazing.”

*Pictured: The Kemp Family at the Reid Kempe Memorial Run 2024 and Charlie Judd, Head of Secondary*

Zoe also spoke about the relationships her father built at Somersfield recalling “He was a humble guy and simply did not realize how cool and inspiring he was. Not only to me and my brothers – but to so many of his students, fellow teachers, and people in the community. Dad would love to see the amazing school spirit, team spirit and general camaraderie displayed by the students throughout the event. Witnessing the high-fives, words of encouragement and cheering for fellow classmates along the route would have made my dad smile with pride from ear to ear. The energy and encouragement from the teachers is pretty special as well. The whole day exudes positivity and that was Reid Kempe in a nutshell.”

The route this year was 3.27 miles and the fastest finisher was Jackson Langley who completed the hilly course in an impressive 19 minutes, 57 seconds. The top runners were selected to the school cross country team. Below are the top finishers from each year group:

Top finishers:

M1 Boy – Cairo Burgess (7th overall)

M1 Girl – Kate Pursell (31st overall)

M2 Boy – Caelen Cabral (4th overall)

M2 Girl – Daisy Langley (19th overall)

M3 Boy – Joey Cechini (2nd overall)

M3 Girl – Gabby Cechini (3rd overall)

M4 Boy – Owen Rosorea (5th overall)

M4 Girl – Simone Sainsbury (76th overall)

M5 Boy – Jackson Langley (1st overall)

M5 Girl – Annie Pursell (30th overall)

DP1 Boy – Luc Campbell (6th overall)

DP1 Girl – Kennedy Kowalski (67th overall)

DP2 Girl – Satya Darrell (55th overall)

In the end it was the Tigers who came out on top, finishing with an overall score of 5155 points compared to the Makos 6268 points (the lowest score wins).

After the race, despite the competitive nature between the two houses, the students and staff members were in a celebratory mood. Classic songs such as the Cha-Cha Slide and the Macarena had all the students and a number of staff dancing and having a good time with one another. Despite the difficult run, it is clear that this event brings a smile to everyone’s face and fosters school spirit.

House winners: Makos

Unfortunately, the primary race was postponed on the Tuesday morning due to rain and instead took place on Wednesday January 31st. The primary students ran a shorter route around the school campus. Similarly to the secondary school race, the top 8 finishers in each age group qualify for the cross country team. Below are the results of the primary race: