PUMA is bringing its sub-elite marathon program to two more world marathon majors this fall. Project3, which pays amateur runners $3,000 for setting a personal best by three minutes or more, will field athletes at the Berlin Marathon and the Chicago Marathon in 2026. The application window opens June 22 and runs through June 26.
The expansion follows a spring season that put the program on the map. At the Boston and London marathons earlier this year, the fastest male Project3 runner finished in 2:13:33 and the fastest female in 2:28:12. London alone fielded 176 Project3 runners, 84 of whom set new personal bests. PUMA paid out $171,000 in prize money at that race.
“Berlin? Chicago? We couldn’t decide so we chose both,” the brand wrote on Instagram when it announced the news.
What Project3 actually is
Project3 is PUMA’s answer to a long-running question in distance running. Pro contracts go to a tiny pool of athletes. Everyone else pays their own way, even runners who can crack three hours. Project3 sits in that gap. It does not hand out endorsement deals. It treats personal bests like world records.
Selected runners get a 12-week support package before the race. That includes coaching, sports psychology, nutrition guidance, a kit of PUMA gear, and access to the company’s latest racing shoe, the Fast-R3. The program also leans on outside experts, including the Olympian and performance psychologist Dr. Lennie Waite, who works with athletes on confidence and decision-making under pressure.
To qualify, men need a marathon PB faster than 3:00 and women need a PB faster than 3:15. Three hundred spots are available across both races. Runners who beat their PB by three minutes or more on race day earn $3,000.
Why Berlin and Chicago are the right places to chase a PB
If you are trying to take three minutes off a personal best, the course matters as much as the training. Both of these races are built for it.
Berlin has hosted thirteen marathon world records, more than any other course on the planet. The current men’s world record (Eliud Kipchoge, 2:01:09) and the current women’s world record (Tigist Assefa, 2:11:53) were both set there. The route winds through the city on wide, mostly flat streets. The September date usually delivers cool morning temperatures. The 2026 race is scheduled for September 27.
Chicago is the flattest of the world marathon majors, with a total elevation gain of around 74 meters across the entire course. The men’s world record has fallen there three times, most recently when Kelvin Kiptum ran 2:00:35 in 2023. Six of the fastest marathon times ever, across men’s and women’s racing, were set in Chicago. The October race date and the lake-cooled air tend to do the rest.
For an amateur trying to break their PB by three minutes, those are about as friendly as marathon courses get.
The TLDR for runners thinking about applying
Here is the short version, in plain bullet form.
- Races: Berlin Marathon (September 27, 2026) and Chicago Marathon (October 2026)
- Total spots: 300 across both races
- Application window: June 22 to June 26, 2026
- Qualifying PB for men: faster than 3:00
- Qualifying PB for women: faster than 3:15
- The bonus: $3,000 if you beat your PB by 3 minutes or more on race day
- What you get: 12 weeks of coaching, sports psychology support, nutrition help, a PUMA kit, and the Fast-R3 racing shoe
When the window opens, the application goes live at puma-project3.com.
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