In a promotion of its new trainer shoes last weekend, Puma challenged shoppers to beat the world's fastest man, Usain Bolt.
The challenge targeted 18-24-year-olds in the UK's Manchester Trafford Centre, inviting them to "Beat the Bolt" in a head-to-head simulation against the Olympic gold medalist.
Bolt is a Jamaican sprinter who is widely considered as the world's all-time fastest runner. He has won six Olympic gold medals; and holds the world records for 100 meters, 200 meters, and 4x100 meter men's relay.
The speedster is planning to retire in 2017, according to Bleacher Report. Although he has made talks about retirement before, the buzz among experts is that the latest one is the real deal.
Shoppers at the promo were asked to copy Bolt's signature "lightning bolt pose." They then traded their shoes for a pair of Puma's new Ignite running shoes, before their race of a lifetime.
The time the runners had to beat was 0.146 seconds, according to Event Magazine. To jazz up the race, lighting effects appeared in the race, and a photo was taken when the racers made their first movement.
Approximately 2,000 shoppers participated in the virtual race. JD Sports, a nearby Puma retailer, experienced a spike in sales of performance sneakers, while the hashtag #Ignite Manchester zapped across social media.
A representative for Vision Nine, the entertainment agency that teamed up with Puma for the promo, shared it was "excited" to be working with Puma. It described the company's brand campaigns as "inspiring."
Few of us will ever have the chance to compete in the Olympics during our lifetimes, let alone against a gold medalist. But sometimes dreams come true.