Puma Re-Ups Project3 for 2025 New York City Marathon Runners

Cats on Broadway

When it comes to race day footwear, the talk of the town in 2025 has been the Puma Fast-R Nitro Elite 3. A carbon-plated shoe in an incredibly lightweight package, it was released in April in concert with the brand’s debut of Project3.

That running program drew in participants from around the globe, challenging them to break their PB by 3 minutes while wearing the Fast-R 3 during the Boston and London Marathons. It was a resounding success. Everyone in Boston was talking about the shoe, and when the finish line confetti cleared nearly 70 participants had smashed their PBs by over three minutes, while over 40 of them banked a total of $132,000 in prize money posted by Puma.

Seizing on that momentum, Puma is running the whole thing back (literally). Today, the brand has announced that it is looking for 100 new participants to gear up like an elite for the 2025 New York City Marathon (which is unaffiliated with the project), with an entire bounty structure based around PB breaking, biggest time improvements, and fastest overall.

Potentially, the top athlete in the program could take home a whopping $9,000 when they cross the finish line in Central Park, nearly the payout equivalent of taking 6th overall in the open division at the race.

Athletes who are accepted to the program will be able to experience the life of an elite Puma athlete, including testing of Puma’s most innovative footwear, access to Puma coaches and athletes, and the chance to win prize money, of course.

Prospective candidates must meet the minimum criteria to be considered for selection including:

• Holding a valid 2025 New York City Marathon race bib/race entry
• Existing marathon PB of 3:10 or less

To apply, athletes can visit www.puma-project3.com. Applications will close Wednesday, August 6.