At 57, Stefan Wilmans is still running, racing and pushing himself to new limits, proving that getting older doesn’t have to mean giving up on the things that make you feel alive.
When Stefan Wilmans’ daughters approached Get It to tell us about their dad, they weren’t simply celebrating another sporting achievement. They wanted people to know about a man who, at 57, continues to challenge himself, stay active and refuse to accept that age should determine what he can do.
For Stefan, however, fitness has never really been about proving anything. It is simply part of who he is.
“I just feel unfit if I don’t do something physical,” says the Westville resident, who runs his own building maintenance business and is a father to three daughters, aged 31, 26 and 21.
“I find it very useful as a stress reliever. When you are out of breath and gasping for air, nothing else matters.”
That mindset has stayed with him throughout his life.
Stefan played club rugby for Durban Police, represented KZN in cross-country in his age group, completed 11 Comrades Marathons and enjoys riding off-road bikes with his group of friends, the Bush Pigs.
He has also discovered that staying fit allows him to share the things he loves with his family. He once joined his youngest daughter, Madelein, in a Tuesday night netball league before her knee surgery, while he and his middle daughter, Nadine, now run together and train for marathons.
Fitness, he says, is a lifestyle rather than something reserved for athletes.
“At 57, I can still do things that some younger people struggle with because I’ve made fitness a priority. It has helped me to enjoy life more.”
That doesn’t mean Stefan’s body has always cooperated.
In 2018, an off-road motorbike accident left his left foot badly crushed between his bike and the tar road. A strong riding boot protected him from an even more serious injury, but he broke a bone in his foot and needed surgery.
After rehabilitation, the pain continued whenever he ran. A year later, he underwent a second operation in which the affected bones were fused because the joints had not recovered. The result was a significant loss of side-to-side movement in his left foot.
Getting back to running wasn’t easy.
“It was painful in the beginning, but it got better later on,” he says. “Now I can run completely normal, although there is a stiff feeling, but you get used to it.”
For Stefan, the injury taught him something important about the relationship between physical limitations and the mind.
“Your body may have limitations, but your mind can determine how you respond to them. I’ve learned that with discipline, patience and the right mindset, you can achieve far more than you initially think your body will allow.”
It is a lesson he continues to put into practice.
Last year, a friend suggested Stefan look into HYROX. While researching it, he discovered Deadly Dozen, a demanding event combining 12 exercises with a 400m run between each. He was hooked.
After competing in the Africa Championships in Johannesburg, Stefan qualified for the World Championships in London, competing in the doubles category with a close friend.
At the World Championships, they finished second in their age category.
“It was exciting but nerve-wracking at the same time,” he says. “You suddenly realise that it’s time to perform. Now all the hard work has to be put to the test.”
As the event progressed, fatigue began to take its toll. Their running slowed and the podium started to look less certain. But they kept going.
“We pushed through, we motivated each other and used every bit of energy to push as hard as we could.”
The result was more than a medal. “It was a dream come true. Who would have thought that at age 57 you would go to a World Champs event in any sport?”
And Stefan isn’t finished. At the time of going to print, he is preparing for the next Deadly Dozen solo competition, where he hopes to improve his time. He is also training for his 12th Comrades Marathon and what he expects will be his final one, the 100th Comrades, which he hopes to run alongside his daughter.
Then there is another goal already in his sights: competing at the 2027 Deadly Dozen World Championships as both a solo and doubles competitor.
For Stefan, Men’s Health Month is an opportunity to challenge an attitude he believes too many men adopt as they get older.
“It can become the norm to finish work, have a few beers, put your feet up and accept the ‘beer boep’ as part of getting older,” he says.
Men can also be guilty of ignoring injuries, aches and health concerns until they become serious.
His message is refreshingly uncomplicated. “Getting older shouldn’t mean giving up on looking after yourself.”
That doesn’t mean training like an elite athlete. Stefan believes even 20 to 30 minutes of exercise can make a difference, whether that means walking, swimming, cycling, stretching or simply finding a way to move your body every day.
For someone who has spent decades pushing his own physical limits, he is surprisingly realistic about what getting older requires.
Recovery matters more now. Sleep matters. Strength and mobility matter. And injuries need attention rather than being ignored.
He trains five days a week, combining different running sessions, strength training and Deadly Dozen-style workouts. He makes sleep a priority and tries to do something active every day, even if it is simply stretching.
He also believes exercise should remain enjoyable. Sometimes his training is as simple as challenging himself to hold a dead hang for longer or seeing how long he can maintain a wall handstand.
“You don’t have to be an athlete,” he says. “You just need to keep moving.”
For Stefan, however, the strongest motivation isn’t a race medal. It is his daughters. He wants them to see that age does not have to be a limitation and that it is never too late to challenge yourself.
“As a father, you want to be able to do spontaneous or extravagant things with them while they are still young and active,” he says.
He also wants to set an example. “I don’t want them to see me as lazy or a father they can’t be proud of. I want to set an example for them and be the best dad in every way, shape or form.”
That may explain why, when training is the last thing he feels like doing, he visualises the goal instead. He imagines what it will feel like to achieve it. He reminds himself that every skipped training session puts the goal a little further away. And then he gets moving.
His advice to men who feel too old, too unfit or simply too far out of shape to start is perhaps the most important thing he has learned through all those years of running, racing, injury and recovery.
“It’s never too late, and you’re never too unfit to start.”
You don’t have to transform your life overnight. Start with a 10-minute walk. Build slowly. Be consistent. Stop comparing yourself with the person next to you or the person you used to be.
“Focus on being a little better than you were yesterday,” he says.
After all, Stefan has already shown that sometimes the greatest challenge isn’t how far you can run, how much you can lift or what position you can finish in. It is deciding that you’re not done yet.
