This Longueuil resident runs to work every day

Computer programmer Joan Roch doesn't commute like most people.

Every day, the 46-year-old runs from his home in Longueuil to his job in Montreal and back again, often in his favourite skin-tight shorts.

The journey is about 10 kilometres, meaning he runs at least 20 kilometres a day. That's not far from a half marathon, which is 21.1 kilometres.

Originally from Poitiers, a city in France, Roch has been living in the Montreal area for more than 20 years.

Rain or shine, hail or snow, this regular marathon runner has braved temperatures as low as –30 C.

We asked him to share what it's like to run to work five days a week.

Roch says running to work takes him just as long as using public transportation would. This is him running by the Canada Olympic House on René-Lévesque Boulevard.

This map details the route Roch ran two weeks ago to get to work from his home on the South Shore. It took him one hour to complete this 10.5 kilometre run, burning close to 700 calories.

Roch says his commuting method makes him happier and allows him to explore Montreal's nature and urban culture. No music needed. Roch jogging at Parc Jean-Drapeau on a fall day.

He will sometimes cross paths with ice fishermen as he runs across the frozen St. Lawrence River, which he refers to as the "iceway"— a combination of ice and highway.

He often gets strange looks as he jogs across the snowy landscape with his bare legs. He says curiosity sparked his first winter run in shorts — he wanted to know what it would be like. He has now made it a habit and says he found comfort in it despite the freezing cold.

After sitting in front of a computer all day at work, Roch says he enjoys chasing the sunsets on his way back home.

In addition to sightseeing, running provides a daily dose of endorphins, Roch said. "It's incredible, the things you see when you run instead of being in a car, or in the subway."

Roch takes his photos, such as this one of him leaping in front of the Biosphere, by himself. He insists "these are not selfies, because that's boring." It's technically challenging, but he captures these moments using a remote control.

Roch recalls a passerby once telling him: "You like a man who knows what he is doing!" Here, Roch is running by the Saint-Lambert locks.

A photography enthusiast, Roch also incorporates humour and creativity in the shots he takes during his runs. "My new legs are so fast," he captioned this picture on his Instagram account.

He will be showcasing some of his pictures in a photo exhibit at the Centre multifonctionnel Guy-Dupré, a community centre in La Prairie, which will run from April 15 to June 21.