Rex Albert Wilson (born 10 April 1960 in Wanganui, Manawatū-Whanganui) is a retired male long-distance runner from New Zealand, who represented his native country at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. There he finished in 16th place in the men's marathon, clocking 2:15:51. He set his personal best (2:10:48) in the classic distance in 1990.
After his Olympic career came to a close he became a volunteer firefighter, something he continues to this day as chief. On this experience he has said "people say they do it for the community, but I do it for me."[1]
He also runs a jewellery store in Paihia with his wife. They has been the victim of several ram raids.[2][3]
After Wilson was diagnosed with stage four cancer in mid 2022,[4] 15 years to the month after he raised $15,052 for cancer research.[5] He had a robot remove his prostate.[6]
He has a daughter.[1]
Achievements
[edit]| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing  New Zealand
| |||||
| 1990 | Commonwealth Games | Auckland, New Zealand | 7th | Marathon | 2:13:48 |
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 16th | Marathon | 2:15:51 |
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Paihia fire chief Rex Wilson honoured for 25 years' service".
- ^ "Salvation Army van used in Paihia watch theft". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
- ^ Graaf, Peter de. "Three arrests after ram raid on fire chief's Paihia gift shop". NZ Herald. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
- ^ "Bay News: Raising money for cancer treatment; books for kids".
- ^ Ali, Imran. "Only way is up for Paihia crew". NZ Herald. Retrieved 15 October 2025.
- ^ "Supporting Rex on his journey to fight cancer".
- Rex Wilson at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
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