SUPERHEROES come in all shapes and sizes and Bournemouth University student Tommy Coltman is one of them.

As a child, he developed a constant bad cough and suffered breathing difficulties, but these were mainly put down to him having repeated colds and flu.

It was only five years ago, when he was 14, that Tommy discovered he had cystic fibrosis, a genetic condition which shortens lives and makes breathing and exercising difficult.

Now, in between playing rugby and studying to become a chiropractor, he's training for the London Marathon to raise money and awareness of cystic fibrosis.

“I have never done long distance running before and as I play rugby for my university I am more used to sprinting short distances," he said. “But I want to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust as the condition has played a huge part in the life of myself and my family.”

Most children with cystic fibrosis - for which there is no cure at the moment - are diagnosed when young. But it wasn't until Tommy's mother met a new partner, whose own children had the condition and who urged her to get him checked, that he was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, which sees people experience a build-up of thick, sticky mucus inside them causing chronic lung infections and progressive lung damage.

"Running helps me - it clears my airways, making it easier to breathe," said Tommy, whose rigorous training schedule involves running eight miles every other day on Bournemouth beach.

This is on top of a daily 45-minute regime of taking medicines and carrying out physiotherapy to help fight off the symptoms of the condition. “I'm lucky that while I have cystic fibrosis I still have quite a great deal of lung capacity – around 90 per cent – and carrying out exercise really helps me as it helps clear my airways," he said. “It also gives me a great chance to raise money to help others who have this awful condition.”

*cysticfibrosistrustlondonmarathon.everydayhero.com/uk/tommy