Chris Cariss once struggled to make it to the top of the stairs without running out of breath.

Now he has to have his lungs drained of infection twice a day and will be taking antibiotics for the rest of his life.

But the 28-year-old has overcome these hurdles and has now become one of Britain's best marathon runners.

And he has just been given the first in a series of special awards recognising his fight against the rare lung condition.

The Telegraph & Argus is supporting a Bradford Council scheme to find more men and women living or working within the Bradford district for outstanding achievement in encouraging people to be more active. The quarterly awards come from the b-active campaign which is led by Bradford Council's Sport and Leisure Service to encourage residents to become more physically active whatever their age or ability.

Chris, of Bingley, suffers from bronchiectasis, a widening of the airways in the lungs which can cause a build-up of mucus. He has to drain his lungs twice a day but despite his condition he has his sights set on the Olympics marathon in Athens next year. He is also the Yorkshire and North of England Cross Country Champion. It has been a successful year for the insurance underwriter because in addition to the first b-active award he also came 16th in the London marathon and 13th in the Amsterdam marathon last month.

Chris, who was born with asthma, only had his condition diagnosed six years ago after catching Legionnaires disease while on holiday in Greece.

"My childhood memories are of being in and out of hospital and the condition was misdiagnosed as bronchitis or pneumonia," he said. But after doctors told him he would have to take antibiotics for the rest of his life to fight infection he found that running helped clear his lungs. Now he's a familiar sight on the roads of Bingley and trains at the Council's Greenhead track in Keighley. At one time I couldn't walk up a flight of steps," he said.