PUMA will reward Project3 participants a total of $63,000 in prize money after their record-breaking performances at the 2026 Boston Marathon yesterday.
Debuting PUMA’s unmissable SHOWTIME race kits and wearing Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 or Deviate NITRO™ Elite 4, a total of 95 Project3 athletes crossed the finish line, with 37 setting new personal bests.
Collectively the group of runners – representing 12 countries including USA, Canada, Australia, Brazil, China, South Africa and the UK – wiped 1 hour 11 minutes and 26 seconds off their previous marathon records. Of those to set new PBs, 18 athletes beat their previous record by more than three minutes and will take home $3,000 each in performance-based prize money.
The fastest male, Kristoff Mugrage (2:13:33) shattered his previous PB by 1 minute and 28 seconds, whilst Madey Dickson (2:28:12) finished as the fastest female and wiped 43 seconds off her previous record. Both will take home $3,000 as Project3 first place finishers.
It was arguably Malik Mahmud who stole the show, knocking a mindblowing 13 minutes and 10 seconds off his previous PB to cross the line with a time of 2:28:04 – banking $6,000 for his achievements ($3,000 for improving his PB of more than 3 minutes, and $3,000 for being the runner with the biggest overall time improvement).
These performances continue to evidence PUMA’s role as trailblazers of running, combining product innovation and run culture to produce stunning race day results.
The 2026 Boston Marathon marks 12 months since PUMA launched its now iconic Project3. The first of its kind global running program offers participants the opportunity to experience life as a professional athlete as they build to race day; with access to elite coaching, training and PUMA’s range of running products, with the chance to bank huge performance-based cash prizes.
There were also celebrations in Boston for PUMA’s elite runners, with Annie Frisbie (2:22:00) the standout performer. The American matched her 8th place finish from last year’s race, but smashed her marathon PB by 2 minutes and 12 seconds. Also in the women’s elite field, Dakotah Popehn (2:24:04) set a new PB, improving on her previous time by 16 seconds.
In the men’s elite field, there were also new PBs for Rory Linkletter (2:06:04), who broke his previous record by 45 seconds, and Hendrick Pfeiffer (2:06:34) who haved 11 seconds off his PB.
All eyes now turn to London, where a record number of Project3 athletes (176) will toe the line in what is expected to be the world’s biggest ever marathon, with a projected 59,000 runners.
The PUMA Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 and Deviate NITRO™ Elite 4 are available to buy globally on PUMA.com, in PUMA flagship stores and in select retailers across North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia and Australia.
