Personal Bests,
PUMA Innovation
and plenty of momentum

Boston. 28,928 people are waiting for the signal to finally start running. Among them are 90 men and women on a special mission and with a special shoe that the public knows nothing about until this moment: the Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3.

No advertising banners, no loud staging. For PUMA, this quiet appearance at the 129th Boston Marathon on this Monday in April is far more than just a product test. It is the start of a new chapter – and part of Project3, our running program that provides ambitious amateurs with professional resources: training plans, sports science support, and access to the latest tech before it even reaches the market. PUMA wants to know how a shoe performs under real-life conditions.

Boston Marathon – the moment of truth

The results from April 21, 2025 speak for themselves: thirty new personal bests, with participants taking a total of 1:51:46 off their previous records.

Joseph Whalen finished 20th in 2:12:16 – his fastest time to date.

Kylee Raftis also achieved a new best time of 2:34:41, while Manuel Diaz Callejero improved his former PB by over eleven minutes.

As part of Project3, PUMA awarded performance-based bonuses totaling $54,000 US dollars, offering up to $9,000 per athlete for significant personal best improvements and top finishes. Project3 underscores our commitment to empowering every athlete to unleash their potential, strengthen our positioning as a performance running brand and create a genuine connection to the running community.

Now the FAST-R NITRO™ Elite 3 is ready to toe the line – launching into the global market this Friday, April 25. The high-performance racing shoe will be available at PUMA.com, in flagship stores, and at select retailers worldwide.

PUMA doesn’t want to become louder – but better. Not more lifestyle, but performance.

Bloomberg thus confirms that PUMA is returning to its core sporting competence, after the past few years were characterized more by lifestyle products. The Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 is intended to pick up exactly where PUMA has long been a force to be reckoned with. Now, the brand is drawing closer to its sporting origins once again.

The Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 sets new standards

The Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 shows that PUMA is not only back at the forefront of technology, but is also setting new standards.

Patrick Tiernan, Australian Olympian, said after the race:

“This is the first time I’ve thought that these shoes are really better than what the others are wearing.”

And Joseph Whalen added:

“Incredibly responsive – strong uphill, even better downhill.”

But Project3 is more than just a product testing. It’s about target times – and real stories from competitive sport. The direction is clear: We want to get back into the heart of competition.

The Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 also catapults the pros forward on this day in Boston: Annie Frisbie improves her personal best to 2:23:21, Rory Linkletter runs to sixth place in 2:07:02. Three Project3 athletes finish in the top 25 of the men’s rankings, with many more at the top of the Open and Masters categories. None of these were a fluke.

The next starting gun fires at the London Marathon on April 27, 2025, where another 96 Project3 runners will line up. Again, with the Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3, and again with the goal of achieving more than just a time improvement.

Boston was not a test run, but a clear sign: PUMA is back.