On November 2, the Shanghai Marathon kicked off. A large group of runners dressed in black compression suits with silver balloons hanging from their waists caught the attention of reporters. It turns out they were marathon pacers (also known as “rabbits”), who can lead more runners to achieve their intended targets and smoothly earn their marathon medals.
It is understood that the compression suits worn by these “rabbits” are called SKINS. SKINS (Sikins) is a world-leading manufacturer of graduated compression sportswear.Its products are favored by professional athletes for their superhero-like feel and appearance, and they have an excellent reputation for enhancing athletic performance and speeding up recovery. Nowadays, more and more amateur athletes are wearing SKINS to push their limits and deliver extraordinary performances on the racecourse.
In the running community, being a “rabbit” is always a highly honorable role. It means you have the ability to control your own marathon finish time. An excellent “rabbit” is a “pace master,” maintaining a consistent and steady speed over 42.195 kilometers, aligning almost precisely—or even exactly—with their designated finishing time. “Rabbits” are seen as “reference points” by many runners; generally speaking, just staying close to them ensures a “precise” race time.
Further information reveals that these “rabbits” in compression suits were selected from numerous running enthusiasts as “civilian rabbits” by global top-tier compression wear brand SKINS.Because they wear high-performance racing “suits of saints” (SKINS) and look incredibly stylish while running, they are also dubbed “saintly rabbits.” They are no ordinary participants—their paces range from 3 hours 15 minutes all the way to the final “closing rabbit,” and each one has exceptional strength. Especially some of the “female rabbits” who delivered outstanding performances, and their ultimate goal, without exception, is to help more runners meet their target times.
Looking across the Shanghai Marathon course, the “saintly rabbits” have become a beautiful sight. To help them deliver outstanding performances and guide fellow runners to successful finishes, SKINS has provided strong equipment support. For the half-marathon “rabbits,” SKINS supported them with the A200 product. Designed for the general athletic population, the SKINS A200 features engineered graduated compression, making it well-suited to the intensity and rhythm of a half marathon. During the run, it helps accelerate blood circulation, deliver more oxygen to the muscles, reduce lactic acid buildup, and make each step feel lighter and the body feel more relaxed.
For full marathon “rabbits,” SKINS equipped them with the SKINS A400 product. This item is hailed by many professional athletes as the “secret weapon” of races. Facing the high intensity, endurance demands, and oxygen requirements of a full marathon, the dynamic graduated compression technology of the SKINS A400 showcases its unique advantages. With 400 compression points, it provides stable support to key muscle groups, effectively reducing soreness during the run and accelerating recovery afterward. At the same time, given Shanghai’s cold and damp weather, SKINS’ temperature regulation feature becomes especially important. The unique fiber structure helps optimize body temperature under both hot and cold conditions, ensuring that the “rabbits” are unaffected by external environments and maintain a balanced body temperature throughout the run.
These most interesting and hardest-working “rabbits” on the course also have deep thoughts about this Shanghai Marathon. Li Zhenning, a participant from Zhengzhou with years of experience as a “rabbit,” served as the SKINS 330 pacing rabbit in this Shanghai Marathon. He said: “I’ve had many experiences as a ‘rabbit,’ but most of those were as an official ‘organizer’s rabbit.’ Running in the saintly suit and being a civilian ‘rabbit’ this time was a fantastic experience. The compression level of SKINS is just right—it’s much more comfortable than regular compression suits, feeling almost like a second skin. There was no sense of restriction while running, helping me maintain a steady pace and easily adjust my rhythm and steps, leading the pack all the way to the finish line. I’m really happy to have helped more people achieve their goals this time. This experience as a saintly rabbit is unforgettable.”
Another female “rabbit,” Pan Chenting from Shanghai—who has participated in multiple marathons in recent years and ranked 12th in the 2013 Hangzhou Marathon with a time of 3:30—also said: “Representing SKINS at the Shanghai Marathon felt great. The new SKINS A400 product is super impressive. I used to only know about SKINS men’s products, but it turns out the women’s line is just as extensive. The SKINS A400 fits perfectly with the right amount of compression, increasing core strength, stabilizing running posture, and delaying fatigue. What’s more, the product I wore this time is colorful, breaking away from the usual black-based designs—it looks amazing and really stands out. SKINS not only enhances athletic performance, but also excels in product design.”