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PUMA PROJECT3 athletes smash PBs and bank over $54k at Chicago Marathon

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on PUMA PROJECT3 athletes smash PBs and bank over $54k at Chicago Marathon

PROJECT3 closed out the 2026 season in style at the Chicago Marathon and the numbers are wild.

71 PROJECT3 runners finished the race. 26 of them set brand-new personal bests in PUMA’s Sunny Lime kits, powered by the Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 or Deviate NITRO™ Elite 4. Fifteen of those athletes improved by more than three minutes and will each walk away with a $3,000 performance bonus. Collectively, the group took a staggering 1 hour 32 minutes and 53 seconds off their previous marathon bests.

Top of the leaderboard

  • Fastest man: Alejandro Martinez Ambrosio (USA) – 2:17:32 (new PB)
  • Fastest woman: Amanda Mosborg (USA) – 2:29:30 (new PB, 2:27 faster)

Both take home $3,000 as PROJECT3’s first-place finishers.

The biggest jump of the day belonged to Hannah Bashan (USA). She dropped an insane 11 minutes and 53 seconds to finish in 2:51:51, earning her $6,000 total ($3,000 for the 3+ minute improvement + $3,000 for the largest overall time drop).

Lucas Maher, Lead Marketing of Running Athletes at PUMA, said:
“We’re incredibly proud of every athlete who stepped up to race today. This cohort has delivered through every high and low all season, truly embodying what PROJECT3 stands for. We’re thrilled to recognise their relentless dedication and hard work today, and we’ll continue to help sub-elite runners chase their dreams. We can’t wait to kick off next season and reach even greater heights together.”

The bigger picture
PROJECT3’s second year wraps with $405,000 in prize money distributed in 2026 (on top of $160,000 in its debut year). Next stop: Mumbai 2027, where 100 athletes will line up ready to chase the next set of PBs.

The Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 and Deviate NITRO™ Elite 4 are available now at PUMA.com, PUMA stores, Totalsports and Sportsmans Warehouse.

Follow @pumarunning for the latest.

Media contacts
Brett Bellinger, Marketing Director – [email protected]
Lungile Gunundu, Splash PR – [email protected]

 

About PUMA
PUMA is one of the world’s leading sports brands, designing, developing and selling footwear, apparel and accessories. Founded in 1948, PUMA helps the world’s best athletes and teams perform at their best with its innovative products. The company distributes its products in over 120 countries, employs more than 20,000 people and is headquartered in

PUMA Project3 returns to Boston & London Marathons

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on PUMA Project3 returns to Boston & London Marathons

Global sports brand PUMA has announced that its groundbreaking Project3 marathon program will return for the 2026 Boston and London Marathons.

Project3 gives participants the opportunity to experience life as a professional athlete, trial PUMA’s best-in-class race day products including the Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 and Deviate NITRO™ Elite 4, and the chance to bank huge performance-based cash bonuses.

Returning bigger and better than ever, PUMA will select 300 applicants competing at two pinnacle spring marathons – 100 for the Boston Marathon and 200 for the London Marathon – making this the largest intake for Project3 since the launch of the program.

“Last year, Project3 turned the run community on its head. We had three incredible race days in Boston, London and New York, where we brought the global run community together and put the science around Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 to the ultimate test. The results speak volumes and made the decision to run it back for 2026 a very easy one” said Lucas Maher, Senior Athlete Activation Manager at PUMA.

It was a momentous debut year for Project3, with 269 athletes from more than 13 countries toeing the line wearing the most talked about race-day shoe of the year, Fast-R NITRO™ Elite3.

Nearly one hundred runners set new PBs, with 48 of those breaking their PB by three-minutes or more to take home $3,000 in performance-based cash bonuses. In total, PUMA awarded more than $160,000 in prize money across the three races, making Project3 the most lucrative sub-elite marathon program in history.

What To Expect?

As a Project3 participant, you will receive unprecedented access to the PUMA Elite Running Team coaches, elite PUMA athletes, and PUMA innovation experts who will provide guidance on various aspects of your training cycle to ensure you’re ready to break records on race day. Participants will also receive a bespoke collection of PUMA running products, including Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 and the soon to launch, Deviate NITRO™ Elite 4. The eye-catching $3,000 performance bonus for breaking your previous PB by three-minutes or more remains, as does the $3,000 performance bonus to the fastest Project3 male and female finishers of each race, as well as the runner who breaks their marathon PB by the biggest margin out of all Project3 runners.

How To Apply?
Prospective candidates must meet the minimum criteria to be considered for selection including:
– Holding a valid 2026 Boston or London Marathon race bib/race entry
– Existing marathon PB of 3:00 for male applicants or 3:15 for female applicants

To apply visit www.puma-project3.com. Applications open at 11:00 (EST) / 16:00 (GMT) on
Monday 26 January and will close at midnight on Friday 30 January.

For more information, please visit: www.puma-project3.com

 

PUMA Slashes Marathon PRs, Awards $54K as Project3 Runners Set Records

Tanika LaskeyFeatures, NewsLeave a Comment on PUMA Slashes Marathon PRs, Awards $54K as Project3 Runners Set Records

PUMA’s Project3 participants shaved a total of 1hour, 51minutes and 46seconds off their personal records at the Boston Marathon, and will take home a combined $54,000 in prize money as part of the brand’s trailblazing running programme.

Debuting the Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3, a total of 90 runners from countries including the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, France, Spain, UK, Ireland, Sweden, China, South Africa and Indonesia, toed the line at the world’s most prestigious running race, and were rewarded with a sensational number of new PRs.

Of the 90 runners competing, 30 beat their previous records, with 15 smashing their records by over three minutes, making them eligible for the mouthwatering $3,000 cash prize.

The fastest male, Joseph Whalen (2:12:16) finished in 20th place overall and knocked 1minute 23seconds off his PR, while Kylee Raftis (2:34:41) finished as the fastest female and took an incredible 4minutes 4seconds off her previous best. Manuel Diaz Callejero (02:33:35) smashed his previous record by a mindblowing 11minutes and 41seconds.

Other noteable wins came in the men’s open division where PUMA Project3 runners finished in first and second place, as well as taking home first in the men’s masters division. In total, three Project3 participants finished in the men’s top 25.

Celebrating his win back at The High Point, Joseph Whalen said: “I was so happy to make it across the line as the top male. The Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 are amazing, they were super responsive; great on the ups and even better on the downs.“

Kylee Raftis, who was racing at Boston for the third time, said: “I couldn’t be happier. I was aiming to run sub 2:35 and I excecuted my race plan perfectly. Coming onto Boylston Street felt surreal, and once I saw 2:34 on the clock I was ecstatic.”

In January, PUMA launched Project3; a first of its kind global running programme that offered participants of the 2025 Boston and London Marathons the opportunity to experience life as a professional athlete and trial the Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3, with the chance to bank huge performance-based cash prizes.

The programme forms part of PUMA’s brand elevation strategy to strengthen its presence globally and celebrate the latest brand campaign, “Go Wild”.

There were also record highs for PUMA’s elite runners, with Annie Frisbie (2:23:21) obliterating her previous PR by 2minutes and 57seconds, and Rory Linkletter (2:07:02) who finished 6th overall and shaved 59 seconds off his previous best time.

With a host of records broken in Boston, all eyes now turn to London, where another 96 Project3 runners will attempt to achieve a similar feat of athleticism in the revolutionary Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3.

Having exclusivley launched at the Boston Marathon, a limited drop of Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 will go live at PUMA.com, PUMA V&A Waterfront and PUMA Sandton from 4 May 2025.