The Barber Run, sound familiar? Maybe, maybe not. Behind it is a young man of just 33 years old, who has managed to complete 84 marathons so far. Yes, you read that right. His name is Daniel Jiménez Branera and he has been an inveterate marathon runner ever since he discovered his passion for running. He is the youngest spanish athlete in history with so many long-distance races behind him. But where does his love for this sport come from?
It wasn’t the what, but the who. Dani is from Tarragona, where he works as a hairdresser and barber. In 2015, one day like many others, he attended to one of his clients called Josep María, the driving force behind the current marathon runner’s new way of life. That same day, Daniel threw himself into the adventure and decided to sign up for the Tarragona Half Marathon when there were barely three weeks left before the event. He didn’t lack the time to go running that day, but he didn’t even manage to run 3 kilometres. But that didn’t matter. He was participating with Josep and that motivated him.
He completed his first half marathon with a time of 1h 42′. Incredible, you might think. But yes, he did it. And from that moment on he knew that he had found his path in life “to be a better person”, without ever forgetting his parents, whom he thanks for the life they have given him.
Dani has worn the pacemaker’s shoes in both national and international marathons, such as the London Marathon, the Rome Marathon and, of course, the marathon distance of the Santa Eulària Ibiza Marathon 2022.
The athlete already knows what it is like to live the #RunAndFeel spirit by running around Ibiza and discovering the ins and outs of the island, which captivates runners from all over the world year after year. He made his debut at the Santa Eulària Ibiza Marathon in its fifth edition, in which “I was a 3h 45′ runner, but a heat stroke left me exhausted. I was trying to run on Saturday in Ibiza and on Sunday in L’Escala (Girona) to do two marathons in two days in preparation for my challenge of 4 marathons in 4 days for epilepsy. I finished the race, but outside my time”.
The long-distance runner is hungry for more. That is why he hasn’t hesitated to be present at the sixth edition of the Santa Eulària Ibiza Marathon, which will be held on April 1, 2023. He will run around the magical island as a pacemaker with a very clear objective: “In the 2023 edition I hope to do my best, just as I try to do in all the marathons I do as a pacemaker. I want to enjoy the course and make a spectacular group in those 4h”.
The Barber Run cannot hide his predilection for this demanding distance. What’s more, he declares that he is passionate about marathons: “I watch marathons all day long. In fact, I found out about the Ibiza Marathon through social networks and the internet in general”.
A word from a marathon runner
A marathon is not just any challenge, it is the “CHALLENGE”. After having run more than 80 marathons in his shoes, he knows very well how to face a marathon. Above all, to a beginner “I recommend that he should not be afraid, that he should face it with courage, but also with enthusiasm and that he should cry with happiness for a few metres of the 42,195 metres that make up the race. He should think that he is going to do something unique that will make him grow as a person”. Undoubtedly, “a marathon is within the reach of very few. Every time I finish one, I feel fortunate for the little things I am achieving”, Daniel Jiménez emphasises.
An accomplished and supportive marathon runner
The Barber Run can’t resist anything. So far, he has overcome any challenge he has set himself, and with flying colours. But it doesn’t stop there. Solidarity overflows from all four sides of the young marathon runner. The Quadrortathon in Gozzano (Italy) is one of his many feats. It consists of completing four marathons in four days, 168 kilometres in 96 hours. A challenge only for the most daring. All the funds raised by sponsoring his kilometres were donated to the Associació Si jo puc, tu també #epilep. A consummate marathon runner, passionate long-distance runner and exemplary person.