PHOTOS: A tour of the eerie prison at the 2017 Barkley Marathons

A view of Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.

Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.

One of this year's books is entitled "There's Nothing Wrong with You." Lazarus used to go get books from the used shop, but now people actually send him ones with fitting titles.

Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. Photo: Michael Doyle / Canadian Running Magazine.

Mural inside Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.

Under the chapel is "the hole" where inmates would be sent to solitary.

Toilet in the guard tower, where one year the race director hid a book.

Little the dog

Mural inside Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.

Guard tower.

A part of the course features road running.

Inside Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.

A view of Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.

Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.

Inside Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.

A view of Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.

Inside Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary.

Canadian Running toured Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary on Friday morning ahead of the Barkley Marathons. The former maximum-security prison is part of the ultramarathon’s course and famously housed James Earl Ray, whose escape from the prison and subsequent capture was, in part, the motivation behind beginning Barkley.

The penitentiary is located in Petros, Tenn. in Frozen Head State Park.

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During the Barkley Marathons, which begins during a 12-hour period between 11 p.m. March 31 and 11 a.m. April 1, with a conch signalling one-hour to the start, runners run below the prison through a drainage pipe. Gary Robbins is the most notable Canadian entrant and he looks to become the 15th finisher of the 100-plus-mile trail race in the event’s 30-year-history.

Rather than having timing chips, race director Lazarus Lake ensures runners complete the necessary distance by having participants collect pages of books scattered along the course. The book at the prison for 2017 is entitled There Is Nothing Wrong with You: Going Beyond Self-Hate though its location remains a secret.

Related Barkley Marathons coverage

– Pre-race interview with Robbins
– Pre-race photos
– Photos from Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary
– Barkley Marathons historical timeline
– Here’s how Gary Robbins fuelled between laps at the Barkley Marathons
– Mike Wardian fails to complete a loop of the Barkley Marathons under time limit
– Must-see on-course photos from loop four of the Barkley Marathons
– VIDEO: In camp with Gary Robbins between loops at the Barkley Marathons

How to follow Canadian Running at the Barkley Marathons

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2017 Barkley Marathons coverage brought to you by Salomon.