The Empathy Exams

Jamison begins “The Immortal Horizon” by describing a group of men getting ready for a long-distance run through the Frozen Head State Park in Tennessee. When a man sitting in a lawn chair lights a cigarette, the Barkley Marathons starts. Jamison then provides historical context for the marathons, which began with James Earl Ray breaking out of prison and, after 55 hours and eight miles, being caught. Lazarus Lake (Gary Cantrell at birth) visited the terrain and created a marathon so difficult that only eight men have completed it. There is no trail, and the loop passes through briars and water. To be accepted, applicants must complete an abnormal questionnaire, but the run itself is not posted or sponsored by any official source. Jamison’s brother Julian is one of the 35 runners selected for this year’s run, and Jamison is acting as his support system at base camp.

Jamison lists the items deemed vital for completing the run, noting the importance of the compass and batteries. A man named Doc Joe oversees grilling chicken over a fire and is insulted when Jamison asks him about a rumor that the chicken is served blackened on the outside but raw on the inside. Later, another runner tells Jamison the chicken was frozen one year because of how cold it was, and that became part of the Barkley mythology. Jamison sits at a picnic table laden with high-calorie food for the runners and speaks to Carl, a machine shop owner who is usually an impressive Barkley runner. He talks about Blake and AT, both men who are among the eight to finish the race and seem to be frontrunners for completing it again. Blake is a nuclear engineer while AT has had a strong record of success except for one year when he lost his mind on the trail and wound up standing in a creek for hours. AT is accompanied by his friend Jonboy, who is usually a member of his support team but is running the race for the first time this year. John DeWitt is another popular runner, having run the race for 20 years.

Laz, the race’s organizer, intimidates Jamison because of his aura of command and nobility. He is affectionate toward his runners, who bring him gifts as part of their admittance—from cigarettes to license plates to decorate the camp. Julian earns some admiration by bringing a Liberian license plate. Jamison reviews the list of directions Laz gives the runners to “learn” the trail but finds them confusing and not specific enough to read with confidence. Runners are required to find books left at different points along the trail and rip out pages to prove that they have run the correct path.

Jamison then moves back to the present, watching the runners vanish into the underbrush. She and Laz introduce themselves, and Jamison begins to ask him questions about the race. Laz begins the race whenever he wants, only with the caveat that it will begin between midnight and noon on the chosen day. They talk about the different locations listed on the map, such as Rat Jaw, named for the shape of the briar patch, or Meth Lab Hill where Laz uncovered a functioning meth lab while running. Laz has had conflicts with state park officials about the race, and Jamison suspects he is somewhat resentful for the rules and regulations that make the race “easier.” Jamison believes Laz’s connection to the course is much deeper than just amusement. His declining health has stripped him of the ability to run the race, so he turns the race into something beyond himself, a representation of him to join the runners. There are restrictions on where the support team can go because Laz wishes to make an artificial loneliness for the runners, adding a psychological trial to the physically demanding run.

Julian returns from his first loop, which takes him 12 hours to complete. Julian decides to go out for a second loop but doubts he will be able to finish it. Jamison and Julian have spoken about his inspiration to run Barkley and other long races, and he cites a sense of internal motivation as the contributing factor. Jamison rests out of the rain in her car, a rest that is punctuated by Laz playing Taps on the bugle to commemorate a racer quitting. Julian returns to camp at eight the next morning and calls it quits while Charlie describes being unable to stand up while attempting to climb a ledge and cites it as his reason to stop on his third loop. The rain grows bad enough that the people at camp doubt whether anyone will finish the whole race, let alone the 60-mile “Fun Run.” The wife of a runner goes to the edge of the trail with dry clothes in case her husband decides to drop, and Blake arrives back at camp, close to hypothermia. Jamison observes that Laz is torn between disappointment at Blake’s failure and joy that the trail has managed to surprise all of them.

Jamison reflects on the answers she receives when she asks the runners why they do what they do. She recognizes their joking answers become part of the narrative they tell, but they are also a reflection of their internal strength. Jamison and Julian leave camp, and Jamison receives a text message explaining that Jonboy surprised everyone by managing to finish the Barkley Marathons despite the terrible conditions. Everyone returns home to their regular jobs and regular lives.

Jamison reads AT’s book about running Barkley where he describes a mental health crisis while on his fifth loop in 2004. He experiences amnesia and wanders the woods, looking at the paint on the trees that mark the edges of the state park. In this amnesiac state, he is surprised at all the things he has with him that fit his needs exactly when he experiences them, highlighting his self-sufficiency even in the face of his crisis.