A STOURBRIDGE man has completed eight half-marathons and raised £3,335 to fund research into a rare lung disease that his fiancée was diagnosed with earlier this year.

James Sutton, aged 31, was determined to do something after his partner Leanne Lillywhite, aged 30, was told she had one of the world’s rarest diseases, Lymphangioleiomyomatosis, commonly known as LAM.

The condition, which occurs only in women, causes severe breathing problems, frequent collapsed lungs and Miss Lillywhite will most likely need a lung transplant every 10-15 years.

There is currently no cure and very little research due to the rarity of the condition, which now affects around 200 women in the UK.

Mr Sutton, a member of Stourbridge Running Club, decided to raise funds by completing eight half-marathons in eight weeks.

The financial advisor for MLM Financial in Shrewsbury, began his challenge in Wolverhampton on September 1 and completed it in Birmingham on October 20.

The money he has raised will be given to LAM Action, a charity that funds research and drug trials in the hope of finding a cure for the disease.

Mr Sutton, who plans to marry Miss Lillywhite in June, said: “Our supporters have all been incredibly generous. it’s great to know that every penny raised will be used by LAM Action to fund research and drug trials in the hope of finding a cure for LAM.”