Just when you thought you had every notable running shoe manufacturer on your radar, we bring you an Italian brand with a long heritage in athletic footwear that should be high on your list. In recent years, Diadora has reemerged through a corporate renaissance and has suddenly been pumping out great shoes for the past couple of years.
With a deep history dating back to 1948, Diadora definitely isn’t a Johnny-come-lately in the running shoe game. Situated since its inception in Italy’s aptly named Run Valley – which has been known for a century for its Prosecco wine production and athletic footwear craftsmanship – Diadora has a strong comeback vibe after decades of dormancy. (Long before Portland, Oregon, became one of the world’s foremost sport shoe development hubs, the region situated between Venice and the Dolomites has been integral to the development of running shoes, track spikes, hiking boots, and ski boots since the late 19th century.)
Although Diadora is currently better known as a soccer brand, back in the 1980s it was known for leading-edge running innovation and was the shoe of choice for U.S. hurdling legend Edwin Moses, British middle-distance star Sebastian Coe (at the end of his career), and Italy’s long-distance runner Gelindo Bordin, who is still the only man to take gold at the Olympic Marathon (1988) and win the Boston Marathon (1990). Based on where Diadora has been and what it has developed with the just-launched premium Atomo Star super trainer ($240), its leading-edge past might soon become prologue.
With Bordin in the fold as a marketing executive and its exquisite Italian craftsmanship leading the way, the brand is going through an impressive resurgence with eyes on the U.S. market. It has already made a splash with several shoes, including last year’s light and lively Frequenza training shoe and its newly launched carbon-plated Gara Carbon 2 race-day model. Here’s a look at how the soft and responsive Atomo Star is the next step in the brand’s evolution.
What’s New: The Atomo Star is a brand new shoe built around the brand’s new high-loft and extremely bouncy Anima N2 supercritical EVA midsole material. It also features a very comfortable, multi-density DDATTIVO insole, a lightweight, two-layer engineered air-mesh upper, and a high-abrasion carbon-rubber outsole. Aside from the midsole, the best component is the novel Unitongue construction that seamlessly integrates a softly padded tongue into a stretchy and snug interior bootie, ensuring a consistently comfortable fit across the forefoot, midfoot, and collar. (It’s essentially one step better than a gusseted tongue because it creates such a comfortable, comprehensive, foot-wrapping fit.)
Fit/Feel/Ride: The Atomo Star fits true to size with a medium-volume interior and a little bit of wiggle room in the toe box. (A few testers with larger feet have suggested that it might be necessary to go up a half size, but my U.S. 10.5 was the right length.) The step-in feel is superlatively plush, one of the most softly appointed interiors of any running shoe I’ve ever worn. Thanks to the Unitongue interior construction, my feet have felt surrounded by cushy coziness every time I have laced them up. That luxurious feeling is enhanced out on the run and becomes what I consider a three-dimensional sensation of seemingly unlimited softness and responsiveness. It’s definitely a premium vibe, like the decked-out, top-tier SUV with a leather interior, tinted windows, and a quadraphonic Blaupunkt sound system.
The Anima N2 foam serves up an extremely smooth rolling/bouncy ride that is on par or superior to the midsoles of other modern super trainers. It’s a hyper-responsive midsole, but the density and width of the material give it plenty of shock absorption, stability, and protection. Just like driving in a luxury SUV in which you don’t feel the road, the Atomo Star is like running on pillowy cushions under your feet.
Why It’s Great: The Anima N2 supercritical EVA midsole is a game-changer, not only for Diadora but for the entire class of super trainers. There isn’t any type of propulsion plate in the Atomo Star, but the midsole serves up plenty of whippy energy on its own. It’s uncommonly good, especially if you like trainers that serve up a springy sensation. Diadora says the midsole reactivity (or energy return) has tested out to 72%, which is a huge improvement over its previous EVA Light material that was already notably good.
Price: $240
Weight: 7.4 oz. (women’s size 8), 9.7 oz. (men’s size 9)
Heel-Toe Offset: 6mm; 40mm (heel), 34mm (forefoot)
Why You’ll Love It: If you like responsive, maximally stacked training shoes, you’re bound to love this shoe for its soft, resilient, and well-balanced cushioning – especially if you’re a bigger or taller runner. Its wide footprint from heel to toe provides great support and stability, which is rare for such a soft, easy-compressing foam. Its sweet spots are Zone 3 cruising, recovery runs, and moderately paced long runs, although it can be a good shoe for short, spontaneous fartlek-style intervals during the middle of any run. My final wear-test effort was a 12-miler with some punchy surges, and it felt sublime from start to finish.
Why You Might Not Love It: The biggest drawback of the Atomo Star is that it’s not ideal for faster running paces. It feels very responsive at tempo pace, but it takes some effort to keep it rolling at that speed and cadence. It’s not a heavy shoe, but the thick midsole definitely has some girth, which can make it challenging to speed up your stride turnover.
Pro: The pride in made-in-Italy craftsmanship isn’t just a marketing slogan, it’s a tangible quality that can be seen and felt in the quality design, construction, and performance of the Atomo Star. This shoe was entirely designed, prototyped, lab-tested, wear-tested, obsessed over, and assembled in Diadora’s in-house “Manovia” (aka “made in Italy”) research and production facility in Caerano di San Marco. Unlike other brands that design shoes in the U.S. and pump them out of a factory in China or Vietnam, Diadora made sure the Atomo Star was a hands-on, quality-controlled effort from start to finish. (And yes, to be fair, some Diadora shoes are produced in other places.)
Con: The Atomo Star’s $240 price is steeper than that of many other maximally cushioned super trainers –like the Hoka Skyward X ($225), ASICS Superblast 2 ($200), and Nike Pegasus Premium ($210) – but there can be some comfort knowing you’re paying for a premium product. However, it’s more expensive than (or at least commensurate with) the price of many top-tier, carbon-plated racing shoes.
