Tambwe aims for repeat at Tiberias Marathon | 09.01.2013

Twelve months ago Patrick Tambwe caused quite a stir when he ran the fastest marathon time by a European for almost four years and on Thursday he is looking to make his mark again.

Tambwe, 37, who used to represent the Congo, won the Tiberias Marathon in Israel with a stunning 2:07:29 to triumph on one of the most beautiful settings for a 26.2 mile event.

With the Sea of Galilee as background, the event that was first held in 1977 brought a course record by 0.88 of a second from the time set by Kenyan Jackson Kipkoech Kotut in 2009.

And if the omens for tomorrow's race are not good because of the weather, that should have no affect on the defending champion.

When Tambwe won in 2012, he did so in the rain and as he takes the No 1 bib, he will be looking to repeat his outstanding exploits.

The 37th staging of the Tiberias Marathon has an even greater incentive for breaking the course record, with the bonus increased from $50,000 (US) to $100,000 (US).

During 2012, only four other men managed to crack the 2:10 barrier for the marathon, with Poland's Henry Szost running 2:07:39 followed on the rankings by Viktor Rothlin, of Switzerland, with 2:08:32, Abraham Kiprotich, of France, with 2:08:35 and the Netherlands' Michel Butter with 2:09:58.

Tambwe's win in Israel took him to 12th in the all-time European rankings. The record is held by Portugal's Antonio Pinto with 2:06:36 from his victory in London in 2000.

But when Tambwe made it to London last summer, he could not repeat his feats at the Olympics, failing to finish the race.