More than 100 runners turned up for a 26.2-mile run through Shepton Mallet prison in Somerset, England last month. Athletes dressed in a variety of costumes, including striped ‘chain gang’-style jail uniforms, as they completed 78 laps of a course laid out throughout the prison, which is no longer used to house prisoners.
Shepton Mallet prison was closed in 2013, but had previously been in use since the early 1600s. Since its closure, it has been a popular tourist destination not just for runners, but for other large private events and guided ghost tours.
Runners battled narrow corridors, dim lighting, and plenty of stairs as they completed the marathon. Finishers received a medal and ‘prison food’ for their efforts.
The future of the Jacobean-era prison is uncertain, as the land has been zoned for retail and assisted living development; but as long as the former prison is available, marathon organizers plan to make the unique running course part of their annual calendar.
