Sidy Diallo is not at his first attempt. Sunday, October 28, he will run his eighth barefoot marathon in seven weeks. A concept.
Sidy Diallo is about to run his 35th barefoot marathon. At 60 years old, he has already run nearly 170 marathons, his first at 55.
"I started to wear my shoes three years ago, " said the diplomat, who returns from a mission in Suriname. I have already made about thirty barefoot marathons on six continents. "
Since September, he has already made the marathons of Vilnius (Lithuania), Seine-Maritime, Montreal, Chisinau (Moldova), Lyon, Metz and Toulouse. Bitumen ? It does not scare him, on the contrary.
"Bitumen is a boon when you're barefoot, it's easier. Without shoes, the running technique is more natural, the impact is less. We land on the front of the foot, and so we absorb the shock. On the other hand, I saw that for the green marathon of Rennes, there are paths, or parks. It's more complicated, in general, I have to walk if there are too many pebbles. "
For Sidy Diallo everyone can run, with or without shoes. "Our ancestors did several marathons a week to hunt and eat, our body is made for that. And today, we have to keep running, not to eat, but to stay healthy. "