First realize the chain as a random walk on a multigraph: put three parallel edges between , two between , and one between . There are six edges and vertex degrees . Choosing an incident edge uniformly gives exactly the stated transition probabilities. The stationary distribution of a graph random walk is the degree divided by twelve, , and detailed balance follows because each edge multiplicity contributes the same flux in both directions.
For the first positive return time, Kac's lemma gives
For passage to , put and . The first-step equations are and , since reaching stops the clock. Thus
A multigraph is essential: a simple graph on three vertices cannot have six edges.