audio, stills, text and or video: Go to zReportage.com to see more - Think your commute is tough? Detroiter James Robertson walks about 21 miles a day, round trip. He doesn't look athletic but the 56-year old Robertson has a champ's commute requiring a bus ride each direction and nearly 21-miles of walking, consuming 22 hours of his day before beginning again throughout the work week. It's the life he has led for the last decade, ever since his 1988 Honda Accord quit on him. After the Detroit Free Press story about the 10 years he's been doing this commute to and from his factory job in Rochester Hills, thousands of people donated toward student Evan Leedy's goal of getting Robertson a car. LeedyÕs Internet-based fund-raiser to buy Detroit marathon commuter James Robertson a car reached the $300,000 this week, not bad for an initial goal of $5,000. - Pictures by Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMA
© zReportage.com Story of the Week # 565 - Detroit's 'Walking Man' - Launched February 10, 2015 - Full multimedia experience: audio, stills, text and or video: Go to zReportage.com to see more - Think your commute is tough? Detroiter James Robertson walks about 21 miles a day, round trip. He doesn't look athletic but the 56-year old Robertson has a champ's commute requiring a bus ride each direction and nearly 21-miles of walking, consuming 22 hours of his day before beginning again throughout the work week. It's the life he has led for the last decade, ever since his 1988 Honda Accord quit on him. After the Detroit Free Press story about the 10 years he's been doing this commute to and from his factory job in Rochester Hills, thousands of people donated toward student Evan Leedy's goal of getting Robertson a car. LeedyÕs Internet-based fund-raiser to buy Detroit marathon commuter James Robertson a car reached the $300,000 this week, not bad for an initial goal of $5,000. - Pictures by Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMA
Jan. 9, 2015 - Detroit, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON, 56, of Detroit, prays before eating in the break room before his shift at Schain Mold & Engineering in Rochester Hills.
© Detroit Free Press/ZUMA Wire
Jan 9, 2015 - Detroit, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON, 56, of Detroit, poses for a photo outside of his workplace at Schain Mold & Engineering in Rochester Hills. Robertson walks amazing distances during his commute, taking two buses from his home and walking a 7-mile stretch to his job everyday for twelve years.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Jan. 29, 2015 - Detroit, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON, 56, of Detroit, walks toward Woodward Ave. to catch his morning bus to Somerset Collection in Troy before walking to his job at Schain Mold & Engineering in Rochester Hills.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMA Wire
Jan. 9, 2015 - Michigan, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON, 56, of Detroit, drills a hole into a plastic mold injection of a pressurized toilet vessel while working at Schain Mold & Engineering in Rochester Hills. Robertson has walked amazing distances in commute taking two buses from his home and walking a 7-mile stretch after getting up at 6a.m. to make it to his job for his 2 p.m. shift in Rochester Hills where he works as an injection molding machine operator everyday for twelve years. 'It's just a fixation. I told him you'd have to fire me to get riff of me,' Robertson said.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Jan. 9, 2015 - Michigan, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON, 56, of Detroit, talks with plant manager TODD WILSON (left) before the start of his shift at Schain Mold & Engineering in Rochester Hills.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMA Wire
Jan. 9, 2015 - Michigan, MI, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON (center), 56, of Detroit, writes his clock number inside of pressurized toilet vessels he worked on during his shift as a injection molding machine operator with co-worker Tom Menoroth at Schain Mold & Engineering in Rochester Hills.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Jan 29, 2015 - Detroit, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON (right), 56, of Detroit takes a brief nap while riding the SMART bus along Woodward Ave. in Detroit on Thursday to the Somerset Collection in Troy before beginning his daily walk to his job at Schain Mold & Engineering in Rochester Hills. Robertson's roundtrip commute requires a bus ride each direction as well as nearly 21-miles of walking consuming 22 hours of his day before beginning again throughout the work week.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Jan. 29, 2015 - Michigan, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON, 56, of Detroit, poses for a photo at Schain Mold & Engineering in Rochester Hills. Robertson's daily roundtrip commute requires a bus ride each direction as well as nearly 21-miles of walking consuming 22 hours of his day before beginning again throughout the work week.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Jan. 9, 2015 - Detroit, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON, 56, of Detroit, chats with a co-worker while eating in the break room before his shift at Schain Mold & Engineering in Rochester Hills.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Jan 30, 2015 - Detroit, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON, 56, of Detroit, walks toward Woodward Ave. to catch his morning bus to Somerset Collection in Troy before walking to his job at Schain Mold & Engineering in Rochester Hills.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Jan 30, 2015 - Detroit, Michigan, U.S. - UBS Vice President of Wealth Management BLAKE POLLOCK talks with JAMES ROBERTSON, 56, of Detroit, after giving him a ride to work after spotting Robertson walking along Crooks Rd. to his shift at Schain Mold & Engineering in Rochester Hills.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Feb 2, 2015 - Detroit, Michigan, U.S. - EVAN LEEDY, 19, of Macomb Twp. listens while JAMES ROBERTSON 56 of Detroit is recorded for CBS after meeting for the first time at Mr. B's Pub in Rochester following starting a funding campaign after reading the Detroit Free Press story of Robertson's dedication and journey to and from work each day.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Feb 3, 2015 - West Bloomfield, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON (center) 56 of Detroit laughs while preparing to record a podcast at the home of DICK PURTAN (bottom left) in West Bloomfield. Purtan and his daughter JACKIE PURTAN interviewed Robertson about his life following a Detroit Free Press article documenting Robertson's daily 21 mile journey walking to and from work.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Feb. 3, 2015 - West Bloomfield, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON 56 of Detroit meets DICK PURTAN and his daughter JACKIE PURTAN at his home for the first time while visiting to record a podcast at the home of Dick Purtan following a Detroit Free Press article documenting Robertson's daily 21 mile journey walking to and from work.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMA Wire
Feb 3, 2015 - West Bloomfield, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON, 56 of Detroit laughs while answering questions about his life during a podcast recording at the home of DICK PURTAN following a Detroit Free Press article documenting Robertson's daily 21 mile journey walking to and from work.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Feb 4, 2015 - Rochester, Michigan, U.S. - UBS Vice President of Wealth Management BLAKE POLLOCK (left) of Rochester looks on as JAMES ROBERTSON 56 of Detroit hugs EVAN LEEDY, 19, of Macomb Twp. while meeting him for the first time at Mr. B's Pub after starting a funding campaign after reading the Detroit Free Press story of Robertson's dedication and journey to and from work each day.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Feb 4, 2015 - Rochester, Michigan, U.S. - EVAN LEEDY, 19, of Macomb Twp. listens while JAMES ROBERTSON 56 of Detroit is recorded for CBS after meeting for the first time at Mr. B's Pub in Rochester. Evan Leedy of Macomb Twp. started the funding campaign after reading the Detroit Free Press story of James Robertson's 21-mile walk to and from work each day.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Feb 4, 2015 - Rochester, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON 56 of Detroit is seen on a screen while being interviewed at Mr. B's Pubafter the Detroit Free Press story of Robertson's dedication and journey to and from work each day.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Feb 6, 2015 - Sterling Heights, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON 56 of Detroit talks with press after receiving a free 2015 Ford Taurus from Suburban Ford as part of a continuing showing of community support following a Detroit Free Press story on Robertson's his daily 21 mile walk to and from work.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Feb. 6, 2015 - Sterling Height, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON, 56, of Detroit, gets emotional after receiving a free 2015 Ford Taurus from Suburban Ford following a campaign that raised money from donors around the world showing public support after the Detroit Free Press story of Robertson's 21-mile walk to and from work each day.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMA Wire
Feb 6, 2015 - Sterling Heights, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON, 56 of Detroit gets into his free 2015 Ford Taurus from Suburban Ford following a Detroit Free Press story of Robertson's dedication and journey on his daily 21 mile walk to and from work.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMAPRESS.com
Feb. 6, 2015 - Sterling Heights, Michigan, U.S. - JAMES ROBERTSON, 56, of Detroit talks to the press after getting into his free 2015 Ford Taurus from Suburban Ford following a Detroit Free Press story of Robertson's dedication and journey on his daily 21 mile walk to and from work.
© Ryan Garza/Detroit Free Press/ZUMA Wire
