Meet Jani Barré, a proud queer Quebecer who lives with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI). Jani is a Guinness World Record breaker, a conference speaker, an athlete, and one of the strongest people we have ever had the pleasure to meet.
She is also an author. In 2016, she released a book co-written with her dad (157 Fractures Histoire Vrai—ISBN: 9782981290731—available only in French), in which she tells her real story, all the struggles that she had to go through in her life, and how, even though her bones were fragile like porcelain, she grew up to be a strong and independent woman.
On April 21st, 2024, Jani broke the Guinness World Record while participating in London in her 10th marathon. Believe it or not, she broke this record in her HELIO C2 ultralightweight wheelchair from Motion Composites. Today, she’s officially the world record holder for The Fastest Marathon in a Non-Racing Wheelchair, completing it in an impressive 4 hours, 19 minutes, and 21 seconds. Jani just competed in her 11th marathon in Berlin on September 29th, where she broke her record again, completing it in only 4 hours, 8 minutes, and 8 seconds!
Jani is a crazy busy athlete. She trains like a Paralympian, preparing for competing and completing several kilometers daily in her chair. She also practices boxing every week (a sport that she has been perfecting for 10 years) in the boxing club in her town! She has participated in important box matches in her wheelchair and keeps pushing the limits of what is possible. Jani is the perfect exemplification of “going beyond!”
Jani took some time in her busy schedule to meet with us, discuss her career as an athlete, discuss the challenges she faced to get her Guinness World Record, and gave us some more insights on her plans for the future.
Interview:
Jani Barré: I was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), and throughout my life, I had 157 different fractures in my body. I was tired of not being able to live a normal life. After an experimental treatment in a hospital in Montreal, my bone density improved, and I was not breaking my bones as easily as before, so I had a “teenager crisis” when I was an adult. For a while, I had problems with alcohol and drugs; I did not have a real motivation in life. Then, one day, 10 years ago, I decided that it was enough; I have not touched a single drop of alcohol or any drugs since that moment.
I had a long road to get to where I am today and am so proud of everything I have accomplished.
I stay focused on what I need to do. I train every day, roll a few kilometers, and train in the boxing club of my town (Saint-Hyacinthe).
I have been a public speaker for almost 10 years. I get hired to speak at elementary and high schools and to different companies and organizations, and I do this to inspire people. I define this as my life’s purpose: to empower people! I want to inspire as many people as possible. I want to show people that if I can accomplish my objectives, everyone can! We need to believe in ourselves and persevere to do many beautiful things.
JB: Ever since I participated in my first marathon in 2018, it has been a dream of mine to continue participating in marathons. I had set in my mind that I needed to do 10 marathons around the World and that in my 10th, I would try to get a Guinness World Record. I had decided this because I knew I needed to get the experience first, I needed to be prepared, and I needed to understand the difficulties that I could encounter.
I went to London because Denise Smith, a Paralympian and wheelchair athlete, had set the unofficial record. She won the inaugural London Marathon in 1983 in a wheelchair in a record time of 4:29:03, so I said to myself that I needed to break this record that nobody had broken in 40 years, and at the same time, this would give me the Guinness World Record.
For me, this represented two significant accomplishments in one! Now that I have accomplished this, I have set a personal goal to break my Guinness World Record and do 20 marathons! I don’t want to stop!
JB: The biggest challenge while trying to break this record was that I was not alone in competing. Of course, I was the only one in a wheelchair, but I was surrounded by 52,000 runners! Some people sometimes bump into each other, so when trying to finish in record time, you must concentrate, keep your goal in mind, and be 100% focused on your work.
Of course, I decided to add an extra layer of difficulty when I chose to complete this marathon in my regular wheelchair and not in a wheelchair specially designed to race. But it was a personal decision to do this. I wanted to prove to myself and the world that I am stronger than my disability, that I am stronger than my 157 fractures, and that my disability does not define me.
JB: I was born with this disability; it was not always easy. I went through a lot of challenging moments. Moments where all I wanted was for it to stop.
For a long time, I was depressed and pitying myself. I fell deep into addictions. I was drinking and smoking and doing drugs. On September 8th, 2014, I woke up and said to myself, “Jani, you have to stop; you need to start taking care of yourself!”; at that moment, my life took a 180 turn. I took a deep dive into sports and never looked back.
Today, I am 10 years sober and could not be prouder! I like to talk about it openly because I know I am not the only one who has experienced addiction, and showing people how I got out of it and seeing the positive impact that sports have had on my life might motivate someone else who, like me at the time, might also be struggling to get out from this addictive circle that is destroying their lives.
I also wanted to prove to myself that I was stronger than my disability and that I did not need to pity myself anymore. I proved to myself that I was right about betting on myself!
JB: Yes! This was the dream of my life, the thing I wanted to accomplish. It was an exceptional achievement; I am conscious of that, and now I look forward to what the future holds for me.
When I was younger, I used to get fractures in my arms all the time; I never thought that achieving something like this would be possible; however, here I am! Sometimes, I need to pinch myself; life could not be better now! (laughs)
Concerning your other question, I hope this accomplishment of mine has an impact on the lives of many disabled people who, like my younger self, have a hard time believing in themselves. I want them to feel like we can accomplish beautiful things. We must stop pitying ourselves and start believing in our strengths because we are stronger than we think.
JB: Ten years ago, the center of readaptation at Saint-Hyacinthe (the city where I live) contacted me and told me all about Motion Composites and this new wheelchair that the company had developed, the HELIO C2, the perfect wheelchair for active and sporty people like me.
Back then, you guys (Motion Composites) were looking for people to test the endurance of your wheelchairs, and believe me, it has passed the test over and over with me! (laughs)
JB: From the moment I sat in the HELIO C2, my perspective on wheelchairs changed! I felt like I was riding a bike, and it diminished my disability somehow. The HELIO C2 is my Formula 1! It is an extension of myself, and I would not change it for any other wheelchair model.
I have successfully completed 11 marathons in it and counting, broken a Guinness World Record with it, trained every day, and it is still going strong! I even finished the Paris Marathon, rolling on cobblestones, and the chair just rolled with me effortlessly. I really love it!
My favorite part is how light it is without losing its rigidity. It’s everything I could have ever asked for.
JB: Believe in yourself. You are stronger than you think. Remember to love yourself, and don’t be afraid to dream big. Anything is possible. It’s important to accomplish your dreams, so go and try it! Staying positive, having a positive attitude, and believing in yourself are already 50% of the job.
JB: I want to thank Motion Composites for existing! This company, its engineers who designed amazing products like my HELIO C2, and all the production people who work hard to continue manufacturing these “Formula One” wheelchairs are amazing! Thank you for continuously doing such a great work! I feel like I am riding a bike and continue following my adventures worldwide.
We want to thank Jani for coming to meet us, showing us her Guinness World Record plaque, and bringing all her incredible energy to our facilities! In the words of our CEO, Eric Simoneau, “Talking to Jani is like drinking two shots of espresso!” We could not agree more!
If you want to buy her book, you can contact her through her social media or email her at janibarre@hotmail.com. She loves talking to people and sending signed copies to everyone interested in learning more about her unique and empowering story.
Remember to follow Jani on social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) to see where she goes next in her adventures around the World.
