How PUMA Running is Leading the 2026 Marathon Season

Marathon season is in full swing, and there have been plenty of highlights: records broken, new product launches, and fan activations. But no brand is having more fun or infusing the running community with more energy than PUMA.

With its turbocharged Aston Martin collaboration and electric Showtime collection, the iconic sportswear company has delivered its cutting-edge technology to runners at all levels. Among its activations in marathon host cities was The NITRO™ Lab, a high-energy hub in London that celebrates performance, creativity, and culture in the running community.

After spending almost 18 years developing products for PUMA across multiple categories, Erin Longin is now the Vice President of PUMA Running. In her current role, she oversees product and design teams and has played a pivotal role since the brand relaunched in road running in 2021.

Longin is based out of Boston, Massachusetts, but was recently on the ground at the London Marathon to see her team in action. Sports Illustrated's Kicks ON SI spoke with Longin about PUMA's multipronged strategy to dominate race days across the globe.

Marathon season is in full swing. How do you feel about PUMA's presence on the global stage?

As a brand with such a historic legacy in running, major marathons have always been landmark events on the calendar for PUMA. That being said, it is undeniable that the increase in popularity of running in recent years has had an effect on the way we approach these major moments.

On the road, we've had incredible results; both from PUMA elite athletes to those runners who have been part of our trailblazing Project3 initiative. These results have reinforced our position as a leading brand in the world of running.

PUMA Running has a major presence in the races and in the cities. Could you describe this multifaceted strategy to taking on running culture?

For over 75 years, PUMA has been trailblazers of performance, sitting at the intersection of sport and culture. Our ambition has been to ambush these marathons in a way that makes PUMA truly unmissable, tapping into run culture in a way that only PUMA can.

Take the London Marathon, for example, our ambition was to make PUMA London's energy source during marathon weekend. We took over of The Institute of Contemporary Arts, just steps from the marathon finish line, to bring The NITRO™ Lab to life for the running community. The NITRO™ Lab was designed as a high-energy hub to celebrate performance, creativity, and culture.

We offered a glimpse at the future of fast through PUMA's ground-breaking product innovations, the chance to win a pair of our limited-edition Deviate NITRO™ Elite 4 LDN by completing our 1k Energy Race - running a sub-4-minute kilometer on our on-site treadmill.

We partnered with iconic brands to help fuel the journey to race day, including Flat White Or F*ck Off, the viral coffee company, who helped to keep the energy high all weekend. And on Sunday afternoon after the race, we welcomed Marathon runners back to the ICA with free pizza and beer for anyone with a finisher medal.

How excited are you for athletes to finally get their hands on the Fast-R NITRO Elite 3 or Deviate NITRO Elite 4?

We've seen an incredible response from the run community since launching Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3 in April 2025. It has been worn by thousands of runners, helping them break records in emphatic fashion.

The Deviate NITRO™ Elite 4 was launched in February and continues to be the hero of our raceday running franchise, with thousands toeing the line at marathons this spring with Deviate Elite on their feet.

What kind of feedback have you heard from professional and casual runners?

The feedback we've received from the full ecosystem of runners has been amazing. We've seen consistent improvements in times across the board, whether the person is running elite times or for those taking on races for the first time.

We're always looking to improve, so we take feedback from our athletes and consumers very seriously, and our product development team are great at building runners' needs into our latest footwear.

PUMA is at the top of the running shoe world. What achievement are you most proud of?

That's very kind of you to say! We're proud of the journey we've come on as a brand over the past five or so years. We have gone from relatively no market share in road running, to having one of the most sought-after running shoes on the market in Fast-R NITRO™ Elite 3.

It's the hard work, dedication and commitment from the teams to make PUMA running the force it is today that I am truly proud of. But we know that innovation never stops still. We have to continue to evolve, innovate, and advance technology to make sure we stay on top.

What challenges do you see in the future for the performance footwear industry?

The challenge is always to be the fastest brand out there, and with the running shoe market more competitive than it's ever been, we can only see that challenge growing moving forward. It's a challenge we welcome with open arms, though.

Last question, if you could get any athlete or celebrity to run in one of PUMA's super shoes, who would it be?

That's a tough one! I would go with Hailey Bieber. She's empowering lots of women, and she could bring that energy and inspiration to running in a great way.

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