Bingley Harrier Chris Cariss was the leading British male in the London Marathon.

The 28-year-old, who only has half a lung, notched a personal best of 2hr 17min 57sec in finishing 16th.

However, he was beaten by British women's winner Paula Radcliffe, who clocked 2:15:25.

"I'll put that to bed next year," laughed Cariss. "But she is brilliant, and you can't say anything bad about her."

Cariss' preparation for the big race was hampered by a groin injury, and a sore throat yesterday morning was an additional worry.

But the part-time insurance underwriter with Norwich Union said: "With decent luck over the last couple of months I think I could have gone under 2hr 15min.

"I tore a muscle in my groin on February 1, and took four or five weeks off. I had more or less written off the London Marathon altogether, and it wasn't until early March that I started training again.

"Then last weekend I ran the first leg for Bingley of 5.1 miles in a relay in Blackpool, clocking 24min 46sec, but I felt like a lump of lard.

"Even yesterday I felt heavy-legged as early as the first mile, but it was still a personal best. Last year I was 20th in 2:20:40, and yesterday was my seventh London Marathon and my ninth marathon in all."

Cariss added: "The people at the hospital think of me as a freak, but they say my lung needs stimulating, and what better stimulation is there than running a marathon?"

Chris was supported in London by his mum Sue - Bingley Harriers' women's team manager - and his fiancee Helen Rhodes, who went round in 6hr 30min.