Much has been written about Honorary Brigadier General Ben Skardon, better known by the Clemson community as Colonel Ben. Faculty, staff, students and area residents can honor his memory during the 5th Annual Clemson 8 Challenge scheduled Saturday, 9 a.m., March 8, 2025, at the Military Heritage Plaza on Bowman Field.

Prior to Col. Skardon’s passing in 2021, he helped create the Clemson 8 Challenge to honor his fellow Clemson POWs, who, along with himself, survived the Bataan Death March in 1942. Today, the Challenge honors all of Clemson’s 25 known POWs from all wars.

Participation in the Clemson 8 continues to honor these great men and heroes.

Register Now

Scan the QR code or visit The Clemson 8 Challenge to register. Participation includes a t-shirt.

How the Clemson 8 Works

Participants may run/walk/bike/hike/swim some or all of eight miles on campus or wherever they wish between the eight-day period of March 8 through 15.

All proceeds are placed in an endowment and will be used to send Clemson students to compete in the annual Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. This year, the Clemson 8 is sponsoring two teams to compete in the rugged 26.2-mile desert marathon.

Contact John Seketa ([email protected]) for further information.