PUMA is bringing PROJECT3, its sub-elite running program, to the 2026 Berlin and Chicago Marathons for the first time.
Following an enormously successful string of results since PROJECT3 was first introduced in 2025, PUMA will now give runners the chance to compete for performance-based cash prizes at two of the fastest world marathon majors.
PUMA will select 200 runners to be a part of PROJECT3 in Berlin, with a further 100 chosen for Chicago. Once selected, each PROJECT3 participant will have the chance to win $3,000 from PUMA, if they can break their previous marathon personal best time by three minutes or more.
The criteria to qualify for PROJECT3 Berlin and Chicago 2026 are as follows:
Female applicants must have a marathon personal best of 3:15 hrs or faster.
Male applicants must have a marathon personal best of 3:00 hrs or faster.
All applicants must be officially registered and have a race bib for the 2026 Berlin and/or Chicago Marathon (PUMA will not provide entry into either of the two races)
PROJECT3 was conceived by PUMA to offer sub-elite runners the chance to experience life as a professional athlete, working with PUMA’s performance teams in their training block and trialing PUMA’s most innovative raceday footwear, including the Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 and Deviate NITRO™ Elite 4.
Participants who were then able to break their previous marathon personal best time by more than three minutes on raceday banked a $3,000 cash prize from the brand. The fastest male and female PROJECT3 finishers would also earn a performance-based bonus from PUMA in each of the previous iterations – and this cash reward will be on offer to the successful applicants of PROJECT3 Berlin and Chicago 2026.
PUMA has already welcomed 600 runners to PROJECT3, paying out close to $400,000 in prize money – with nearly a quarter of a million of that cash delivered in 2026 alone – making PROJECT3 by far the most lucrative sub-elite marathon program in history.
Applications to be a part of PROJECT3 at the 2026 Berlin and Chicago Marathons will be open from 11:00 (EST) / 16:00 (BST) on June 22nd via www.puma-project3.com and close at 19:00 (EST) / 00:00 (BST) on Friday 26th June. Applicants will find out if they have been successful by Monday 6th July.
