The 2027 Clemson 8 Challenge

Run, walk, bike, hike, swim or ski to honor the Clemson men of the Bataan Death March, in person on campus or virtually from anywhere.

Saturday, February 20, 2027 · Clemson University Campus · Clemson, SC

About the Race

Mark your calendar! We are hosting an in-person, officially timed race at 10:00 AM on Saturday, February 20, 2027, around the Clemson University campus, plus a virtual race from February 20 to February 27, 2027. The Challenge is open to the general public.

Complete your own run, walk, bike, hike, swim or ski in Clemson, S.C., or on your own course in your own town, in one day or spread across the eight days. High school JROTC teams have until April 9 to complete their challenge.

Every race-day participant will have a chance to win swag from the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon in New Mexico.

📍 Race Day Details

Date	Saturday, February 20, 2027
Start Time	10:00 AM (in-person, officially timed)
Location	Around the Clemson University campus 101 Gantt Cir, Clemson, SC 29634
Virtual Window	February 20 - February 27, 2027
High School JROTC Team	Teams have until April 9 to complete their challenge
Clemson Students	Please use your local address when registering, not your home address.

🏃 The Events

Current prices are shown when you click Sign Up.

🗺️ Course

The in-person race runs around the Clemson University campus. Virtual participants can choose their own course in their own town.

🎁 What's Included

Your participant packet includes:

• A 100% cotton T-shirt
• A wooden nickel
• A race bib
• A window decal

❤️ Supporting Clemson's Military-Affiliated Students

100% of the proceeds benefit Clemson University's Military-Affiliated student organizations. The first six Challenges raised $139,628.54 for scholarships. The 2027 goal is to raise $19,420 because 1942 was the year of the Bataan Death March.

Dividends from the endowment and your donations help pay for multiple teams to compete in the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon in New Mexico on March 20, 2027.

• Add a donation online during your registration.
• For a tax deduction, contact Amy Craft at the Clemson University Foundation, Monday–Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM EST, at 864-656-1240 or through the contact form on this page.
• Or mail a check to: Clemson University Foundation, Attn: Amy Craft, P.O. Box 1889, Clemson, SC 29633. On the memo line, write: Bataan Endowment.

Why We Run: The Story of the Clemson 8

On April 9, 1942, six Clemson alumni became prisoners of war with tens of thousands of their brothers-in-arms when American troops fighting in the Philippine theater of WWII were ordered to surrender to the Japanese. They were marched north some 70 miles by their ruthless captors in what came to be known as the Bataan Death March, one of the most notorious war crimes in history. Seven other alumni were also captured on neighboring islands during World War II.

Already weak and starving from months of intense fighting and illness, the POWs were herded with other sick, wounded and starving soldiers through the searing heat of the Philippine jungles. Thousands died. Those who survived the march then had to survive years in the inhumane and brutal conditions of Japanese prisoner-of-war camps, and the sinking by our own Navy of unmarked prison ships carrying POWs toward the mainland near the end of the war. It is estimated that at least 57 percent of the captured Americans, more than 11,500 souls, did not survive the war, a number most experts consider very conservative.

Colonel Skardon, 104, was the last living member of this illustrious group. He was well known as the only survivor of the real Bataan Death March who walked in the annual Bataan Memorial Death March (BMDM) at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., one of the toughest and most popular “ultramarathons” in the world. The event has become a pilgrimage for veterans, active-duty military members, supporters, the few remaining survivors, and the families of the men who perished in the march and POW camps.

Colonel Skardon walked in the BMDM 12 times, most often 8.5 miles, beginning in 2007 when he was 89. In 2019, at 101, he walked more than three miles through the desert to honor his brothers-in-arms who did not return. He considered it his duty. He was on his way to walk again in 2021 when the event was canceled due to the pandemic. In response, a team of students, veterans, alumni and friends created the Clemson 8 Challenge so Colonel Skardon could continue his pilgrimage from his home in Clemson. The 8 represents the annual miles Colonel Skardon walked to honor those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in one of the most brutal wartime events in history.

On Thursday, November 11, 2021 (Veterans Day), Colonel Skardon was awarded a star in a private ceremony and the rank of Honorary Brigadier General. On Monday, November 15, 2021, General Skardon passed away.

Clemson's Prisoners of War

There are 29 known Clemson graduates and 3 former students who were POWs. Among them:

• Army Air Force Captain Theodore Cuyler Bigger '34, York County, S.C. Captured by the Japanese and survived the Bataan Death March.
• Army 1LT Martin Crook, Jr. '39, Spartanburg, S.C. Captured by the Japanese and survived the Bataan Death March.
• Army Captain William R. English '37, Columbia, S.C. Captured by the Japanese on Cebu Island.
• Army Major Albert M. George '36, Aiken, S.C. Captured by the Japanese on the island of Mindanao.
• Army Colonel Louis D. Hutson '13, Aiken, S.C. Captured by the Japanese after being wounded on Bataan.
• Army Captain Marion R. “Manny” Lawton '40, Garnett, S.C. Captured by the Japanese and survived the Bataan Death March.
• Army Captain Henry D. Leitner '37, Greenwood, S.C. Captured by the Japanese and survived the Bataan Death March.
• Army 1LT Otis F. Morgan '38, Laurens, S.C. Captured by the Japanese on the island of Corregidor.
• Army Lt. Colonel William Allen Orr '38, Anderson, S.C. Captured by the Japanese and survived the Bataan Death March.
• Marine Captain Wesley McCoy Platt '35, Summerville, S.C. Captured by the Japanese on Wake Island.
• Army Air Force Captain Francis Herbert Scarborough '39, Bishopville, S.C. Captured by the Japanese on the island of Corregidor.
• Army Captain Beverly N. “Ben” Skardon '38, Walterboro, S.C. Captured by the Japanese and survived the Bataan Death March.
• Army 1LT Howard Monroe Vassey '40, Chesnee, S.C. Captured by the Japanese on the island of Corregidor.

• Army Air Force LT Robert Herman Berly, Jr., Lexington, S.C. Attended classes in 1942. Captured by the Germans after his B-24 was shot down in Hungary.
• Army PFC Thomas Whitfield Dunaway, Jr. '49, Thomaston, Ga. Went missing in action in France on Nov. 13, 1944. Captured by the Germans.
• Army 2LT George Albert Henry '45, Spartanburg, S.C. Captured by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge.
• Army Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Lake Hugh Jameson, Sr. '42, Easley, S.C. Captured by the Germans.
• Army Staff Sgt. George W. Jones, Loris, S.C. Attended classes in 1941. Captured by the Germans.
• Army PFC Joseph Lawrence King '47, Columbia, S.C. Captured by the Germans during the Battle of Orscholz.
• Army Corporal Horace Gordon Meisner, Jr. '46, Savannah, Ga. Captured by the Germans in the Ardennes.
• Army Air Force Captain William Henry Mooney, Jr. '41, Hawkinsville, Ga. Captured by the Germans when his P-51 was shot down near Fulda, Germany.

Korean War:

• Air Force Major Malcolm Brodie Edens ’47, Pickens, S.C. - Died while missing in action.  https://soh.alumni.clemson.edu/scroll/malcolm-brodie-edens/ 
• Army 1Lt. William H. Funchess '48, Orangeburg County, S.C. - Captured by the Chinese Communist Army.
• Army Captain St. Clair Webb, Jr. '43, Anderson, S.C. - Died while a Prisoner of War.
  https://soh.alumni.clemson.edu/scroll/st-clair-webb-jr/

Vietnam War:

• Air Force Captain William Renwick Austin II '59, Simpsonville, S.C. - Captured by the North Vietnamese.
• Navy Lt. Commander Robert Fant, '57, Anderson, S.C. - Captured by the North Vietnamese.
• Air Force Major Samuel R. Vaughan '67, St. George, S.C. - Captured by the North Vietnamese.

ℹ️ Keep Going

After registering for the Clemson 8 Challenge, everyone is encouraged to keep training and take part in the 2027 in-person or virtual edition of the 38th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March.

To learn more about those from Clemson A&M College and Clemson University who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, visit the Clemson University Scroll of Honor.

👥 Become a Sponsor

Interested in sponsoring the race? Contact John Seketa through the contact form on this page or at 864-903-1487 for more information.

Let's Stay Connected