PUMA India has launched ‘Meditation in Motion’, a campaign that takes an unconventional route to talk about running. Instead of centring the campaign on athletes, speed or performance, the sportswear brand has brought together 40 Buddhist monks from Ladakh’s Thiksey Monastery and placed them in PUMA running shoes
Released ahead of the Ladakh Marathon, the campaign draws a parallel between two practices that appear to sit at opposite ends of the spectrum: meditation and running. PUMA’s central idea is that both demand sustained focus, discipline and the ability to stay present.
The campaign was shot at the 15th-century Thiksey Monastery in Leh, using the monastery’s architecture and the surrounding Ladakh landscape as its visual setting.
Across six frames, the monks appear in their traditional robes while wearing PUMA’s Deviate PURE NITRO running shoes. The campaign deliberately keeps the monks and their surroundings recognisable rather than transforming the setting into a conventional sports advertisement.
That visual contrast forms much of the campaign’s appeal: the maroon robes and centuries-old monastery are juxtaposed with contemporary performance footwear, creating an image that immediately connects two seemingly different worlds.
The creative idea does not suggest that monks are being positioned as runners. Instead, PUMA uses their association with meditation to illustrate the mental discipline it believes is also central to running.
This becomes particularly relevant to the Ladakh Marathon, where participants have to contend with altitude, weather and difficult terrain.
PUMA India is the exclusive sportswear partner of the Ladakh Marathon, making the campaign part of a broader association with the event rather than a standalone running communication. The 13th edition of the marathon is scheduled from September 10 to 13, 2026.
The marathon includes the 122-kilometre Silk Route Ultra, which begins in Nubra Valley at approximately 10,700 feet and climbs to Khardung La Pass at 17,618 feet. The extreme conditions make mental composure as relevant to the race narrative as physical preparation.
As part of its partnership, PUMA will provide race-day T-shirts across marathon categories. Participants in the Ultra category will also receive additional gear, including jackets, arm sleeves, thermals, beanies and caps.
The campaign also makes its location integral to the idea. Thiksey Monastery and Ladakh are not simply backdrops; they provide the cultural and geographic context for the connection PUMA is attempting to make between stillness and movement.
