On the Run with Sam: The Rise of Diadora

The Rise of Diadora

Okay, I really wanted to try and find a way to relate “Barbenheimer” to this month’s piece, but I just couldn’t find a running related, non-exhausted way to do so. So, with the help of my co-workers here at Fleet Feet Malta, I’ve decided to talk about what I’m currently running in and why. This topic not only stems from friendly co-worker debate, but a conversation I had with a customer where we geeked out about heel-toe drop. I know, nerds.

At the store, we’ve had Diadora for two, maybe three years. I won’t lie, like any run specialty employee I was skeptical – they seemed like too fancy a shoe for running. My first pair were BlueShield Volos, and I didn’t love them. Needless to say, I kept them as work shoes.

The next year I decided to take a solo trip to Berlin, Germany, and needed one pair of shoes that could do it all. I have many pairs of sneakers, but the Diadora’s were my only black pair and being a solo, 20-something woman, I needed not to stick out. So, through the airport they went. During that trip I averaged 10 miles a day. Not once did my feet blister or become sore. From that moment, they became my trusty daily shoe. I wore them to work, school, concerts, traveling -- everything.

This past March, I went to London. I again needed not to stick out and wanted to be comfortable, so I took the Diadoras. My feet stayed relatively dry for England’s conditions, and I experienced no problems and enjoyed extreme comfort. As a plus, they’re light, so I can carry them in my bag with no problems.

Now, let’s get to the real wear test. I’ve been running in the Equipe Atomo, #RIP -- they stopped manufacturing this model. I was in a struggle trying to find something that was a low enough drop that I wouldn’t get hot spots but also had enough cushion for my relatively intense supination but weren’t chunky on the sole. I decided on the Atomo because it was like a Hoka without being one.

I have been running in them for about a year now. Prior to that, I was running in a lightweight, minimal sneaker with no support. I took the leap to spice it up. I think this is the happiest I’ve been in a pair in a few years. Yes, I know, I’m picky.

I am on my second pair of Diadoras for running and I hope they bring something similar back to the market in the near future. I have also had three pairs of Volos, which recently updated and fixed a sizing issue, all of which I have beaten to death.

If you haven’t tried them yet, I would highly recommend the Volo or Equipe Nucleo for you neutral runners.

Now that I’m done writing about Diadora, I feel like I can maybe tie “Barbenheimer” in somehow. Without spoiling it, they both made me think introspectively about who I am and what I want my life to look like and for now, as a recent graduate, when big changes seem to be filtering in, I think branching out and trying a shoe I was pretty unfamiliar with is sort of how my running and career have been going. Take that leap, do the thing. You’ll surely run into problems along the way, but you’ll know what the best option is for you.

Samantha Simmons