A runner who has overcome a rare lung condition to compete in marathons has missed out on his Olympic dream - by an agonising eight seconds.

Bingley athlete Chris Cariss finished 18th in last weekend's London Marathon, recording a personal best time of two hours, 15 minutes and eight seconds.

But sadly for the 29-year-old those eight seconds meant he missed out on the chance to represent Great Britain in this year's Olympics in Athens.

However Chris, who runs for the Bingley Harriers, has vowed to bounce back in time for the World Championships and Commonwealth Games in the next two years.

He has been competing in marathons since he was 19 and has twice represented his country in cross-country events.

But what makes Chris's achievement more remarkable is that he suffers from the rare lung condition bronchiectasis and a foot injury which has left him needing pain-killing injections.

His bronchiectasis means he will be on antibiotics for the rest of his life and his lungs have to be cleared twice a day. It also leaves him prone to infection.

He said: "It's effect is similar to cystic fibrosis and it turns colds into something more severe. I have lost count of the amount of times I have had pneumonia."

Before he was diagnosed Chris would struggle to walk up a flight of stairs, but now he is one of the fastest marathon runners in the country.

He only discovered he had the condition when he was taken to Royal Brompton Hospital in London after being struck down with Legionnaires disease while in Greece.

He said: "In a way the diagnosis changed my life. I had been a sickly child but the diagnosis meant we knew what was wrong and could treat it.

"When I have infections I am always tired - drunk with fatigue. The best way of keeping healthy is stimulating my lungs by running. If anything athletics has given me a quality of life that I wouldn't have had."

His efforts this year have been hampered by an injury on his foot which has meant he has needed painkilling injections just to be able to sleep.

He said he was devastated to have missed out on the Olympics but was confident he could qualify for next year's World Championships.