Ian Tibbals gave his mother, Elaine Kaman-Tibbals, a perfect 63rd birthday present when he finished second in the PwC Bermuda Marathon on Sunday.

Tibbals, who only did the marathon during this race weekend, stuck with Dennis Mbelenzi for the better part of the race before finishing in 2hrs 32min 29sec, 3:22 behind the impressive winner.

The 25-year-old’s mother was waiting for him at the finish line at Barr’s Bay Park and he was delighted to have given her something to shout about.

“It’s actually my mum’s birthday today, so we came over for her birthday and also for the race,” Tibbals told The Royal Gazette.

“I did the half-marathon last year, loved it and I decided to come back for the full marathon this year.

“I’ve been to Bermuda many times with my family for vacation and we’ve played a lot of golf. I picked up running a couple years ago in college and I’ve really grown to love the sport. I love Bermuda and I love running, so it’s a perfect combination.”

Kaman-Tibbals, who got married on the island in 1995, was pleased with her son’s performance.

“It was a very nice birthday present from my son,” she said.

“I was super excited to see him come across the finish line. We’re so proud of him because he’s a hard worker in everything he does.

“He loves to run and I think running is a great sport. We love the running community, everyone is so supportive of each other and we’re happy to be here.”

“My husband and I were married here 31 years ago on January 16 at Astwood Park and we come back to Bermuda often to celebrate our anniversary.

“We have many fond memories of this island and lately we’ve been coming for the Bermuda Triangle Challenge. It so happens that it always lands around my birthday and it’s a nice treat.”

Kaman-Tibbals had high hopes for her son because of the progress he has made in recent years but was not expecting him to be on the podium..

“I knew he’d be one of the earlier finishers, but I wasn’t quite sure where he would place,” she said.

“He’s been running really well this year and seems to get faster and faster, but I didn’t expect him to finish as high as he did.”

Tibbals, from New York, enjoyed running alongside Mbelenzi for the better part of the race.

“It was great having Dennis to run with in the first half,” the 25-year-old said.

“He really pushed the pace and I tried to hang on in the second half. We were running side by side, then he broke away around the halfway point and I was on my own for the second half.

“But it was great to have him for the first half and it really helps when you’re running with someone.

“I could tell he’s certainly a very accomplished runner because he was really pushing the pace. I run a lot of big city marathons and I run some smaller races, they all have their unique charm.

“It’s my first marathon of the year, so I’m going to run a couple more in the spring. It’s a great way to get some miles under my belt.”

Tibbals, a PhD student studying chemistry at Yale University, enjoyed the ferry ride from Hamilton to Dockyard.

“It was my first time taking a ferry to the start line of a race,” he said.

“I usually just walk a couple of minutes from the hotel and line up but there’s a great camaraderie among the runners and great energy.

“It’s pretty cool how you run the perimeter of the whole island and I passed many scenic sites from Somerset Bridge and Horseshoe Bay.

“We had some great crowds in the second half of the race, went through some of the communities on North and it was a great race.

“Bermuda is right up there in terms of scenery and beautiful water views. I ran one marathon in San Francisco, California, which is very scenic with the Golden Gate Bridge and the interesting topography. But Bermuda is definitely right up there in terms of scenery.”

This year promises to be a busy one for Tibbals, who is about to fulfil his dream of running the six original World Marathon Majors.

“I would love to complete the original six World Marathon Majors,” he added.

“I have run four of them and the two remaining are Tokyo and London. That’s definitely my goal for the spring.

“In terms of time, I would love to break 2:30. That’s a big goal of mine, I’m flirting in the low 2:30s, so we’ll see. Hopefully, this year or in the future I can get some more miles under my belt and break that barrier.”