A French man, who was due to take part in this year's Barcelona marathon, which was cancelled due to COVID-19, has instead run the race on his balcony. 

Elisha Nochomovitz is a keen marathon runner and is also living in Toulouse under the strict confinement measures France has enforced as part of its fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

But this has not proved too great a hurdle for him – and he has continued to run.

Wanting to send a positive message and to show that people can still exercise during the lockdown, he set about running the 42 kilometres marathon distance on his balcony.

"For me, it was the perfect race," says the 32-year-old.

"I had some food and then just stepped out on to my balcony and began."

He adds: "My girlfriend was there for the entire race, she took photos and videos, she could provide me with drinks and food on a little table when I needed it."

Having a seven-meter-long balcony meant he could not get into any settled rhythm or pace, having to turn around regularly after only a few strides.

He said one consequence of this was that he got lots of blisters, but he persevered and completed the distance in six hours 48 minutes.

The runner told CGTN Europe he wanted to prove it was possible to follow the government's message of "Restez chez vous" (stay at home) and still continue to exercise.

There are usually supporters lining the marathon route to cheer on runners. But for Nochomovitz, things were different. However, he still had lots of people wishing him well – because he was at home, he could check his phone regularly and friends sent him messages during the challenge.

Under the French stipulations for the lockdown, people are currently allowed out once a day to exercise and they have to run, walk or train alone.

The exercise session must not last more than an hour and people must not venture more than a kilometer from their home.

There are no restrictions on how much exercise you can do at home, though, which is why Nochomovitz turned to his balcony.

For him, the aim of the run was simple and the message he wanted to convey was clear:

"I wanted to challenge my mindset and show that it was possible to finish 42-kilometers no matter what … to show support for people at home during the lockdown and send a message of positivity."