The Clemson 8 Challenge

🏆 The Clemson 8 Challenge

The Clemson 8 Challenge is open to the general public. We are hosting an in-person OFFICIALLY TIMED race at 9:00 am on Sat., March 7, 2026, along with a virtual race from March 7-14, 2026. You can 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 throughout the eight-day period. High schools JROTC teams will have til April 9th to complete their challenge. Your participant packet consists of 100% cotton Comfort Colors t-shirt or Gildan brand tank top, wooden nickel, race bib and window decal.

🎁 New in 2026 - Prize Opportunity

Every race day participant will have an opportunity to win a prize. (Bataan Memorial Death March marathon t-shirt, glass, shot glass, medallion, etc...)

💰 Supporting a Good Cause

100% of the proceeds will benefit the Clemson University Military Affiliated student organizations. The first five Challenges raised $120,000. The 2026 goal is to raise $19,420. 1942 is the year of the Death march. Dividends from the endowment and your donations will assist in paying for up to ten students to complete in the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon in New Mexico on March 21, 2026.

✉️ Donations and Sponsorship

Donations can be made on-line during your registration or if you want a tax deduction, please contact Amy Craft at the Clemson University Foundation M-F from 8:00 am - 4:30 pm EST at 864-656-1240, acserna@clemson.edu or mail a check to: Clemson University Foundation, Attn: Amy Craft, P.O. Box 1889, Clemson, SC 29633 On the for line, write: Bataan Endowment.

Direct online link: https://iamatiger.clemson.edu/giving/giving-to-clemson?id=9ed46b59-6d7e-4b16-88c6-961984a7efe0

If you would like to become a Race Sponsor, contact John Seketa at johnseketa@gmail.com or 864-903-1487 for more information.

⚔️ The Bataan Death March

On April 9, 1942, six Clemson alumni became prisoners of war with tens of thousands of their brothers-in-arms when American troops who had been 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 would come 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.

💔 The Harsh Reality

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 for years in the inhumane and brutal conditions of Japanese prisoner-of-war camps, and the sinking by our own Navy of unmarked prison ships trying to steal the POW’s away to the mainland towards the end of the war. It is impossible to know the exact number, but it is estimated at least 57 percent of the captured Americans did not survive the war – more than 11,500 souls — which is considered a very conservative number by most experts.

👨‍✈️ Colonel Skardon's Legacy

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.

📅 Participate and Honor

After registering for the Clemson 8 Challenge, everyone is encouraged to continue their training and participate in the 2026 in-person or virtual edition of the 37th Annual Bataan Memorial Death March at https://bataanmarch.com/

For more information on those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country from Clemson A&M College and Clemson University, visit the Clemson University Scroll of Honor website: https://soh.alumni.clemson.edu/

🔍 World War II P.O.W. List

Here is a list of 24 known Clemson graduates and 1 former student who were a P.O.W.

🌍 World War II

• 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.

🔄 Korean War

• Air Force Major Malcom Brodie Edens ’47, Pickens, S.C. - Died while Missing in Action.
• Army 1Lt. William H. Funchess ’48, Orangeburg County, S.C. - Captured by the Chinese Communist Army.

🇻🇳 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 1Lt. Samuel R. Vaughan ’67, St. George, S.C. - Captured by the North Vietnamese.

📊 Submit Results

To submit results for the virtual challenge, simply follow these steps:

1. Click the results tab on the Clemson 8 home page
2. Click “Submit Virtual Results”
   1. Results can ONLY be submitted from March 11th through March 18th.
3. Search for your profile using either your name or email address
4. You can check your progress and the progress of others from the results page