Back and forth: Frenchman runs a marathon ON HIS BALCONY as he finds way around coronavirus lockdown (VIDEO)

One man has taken his desire to stay fit, despite the coronavirus lockdown, to new levels by running a marathon without ever leaving his apartment.

Frenchman Elisha Nochomovitz, 32, became an internet sensation when he was spotted running back and forth on his balcony in a suburb of Toulouse.

Nochomovitz ran back and forth across the 23-foot-wide balcony for the full 26.2-mile marathon distance as he decided to go for a run without defying the French government's advice to avoid non-essential travel.

Explaining his motivation, Nochomovitz said, "It was about launching a bit of a crazy challenge and bringing a bit of humor, to de-dramatize the confinement situation."

Nochomovitz, whose girlfriend provided him with "drinks and M&Ms" to keep his energy up during the run, hailed the French medical professionals as "the real everyday heroes," saying they were doing an "exceptional job," but said his decision to embark on his marathon shuttle-run session was to show people that there are ways to beat the boredom and stay fit during the coronavirus crisis – even if you are stuck at home.

"If everyone thinks the same way and does the same thing, we'll all find ourselves outside and that won't help anything, and the message that we need to stay confined at home will have had no impact," he said.

And the Frenchman, who used a pedometer to keep track of his progress, said the time spent running back and forth gave him the opportunity to ponder a number of issues about the world.

"I thought about many things, what's going to happen, when I see that the world has stopped, sports, economy, finance," he said.

"We learned in history about wars between nations, men and weapons, but this is something that is beyond us."

Nochomovitz's marathon session followed on the heels of another fitness-promoting idea, as he performed a series of exercises on his balcony in an Instagram post earlier in the month.

But his balcony marathon, and the attention it garnered, gave Nochomovitz the chance to send a message to his fellow citizens.

"The instruction was to stay home, so that's what I did," he said.

"Just to show you that we have no excuses. And please think of those caregivers who are on the front line facing this crisis."