Heads up! Here’s your massive list of sports tech deals! This includes the Garmin Forerunner 965 for just $499, Garmin Epix for $429, the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium for $735, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $299, (or Hero 13 bundle for $339!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list here!
I’m DC RAINMAKER…
Here’s how to save!
Wanna save some cash and support the site? These companies help support the site! With Backcountry.com or Competitive Cyclist with either the coupon code DCRAINMAKER for first time users saving 15% on applicable products.
You can also pick-up tons of gear at REI via these links, which is a long-time supporter as well:
Alternatively, for everything else on the planet, simply buy your goods from Amazon via the link below and I get a tiny bit back as an Amazon Associate. No cost to you, easy as pie!
You can use the above link for any Amazon country and it (should) automatically redirect to your local Amazon site.
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Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
1
In Depth Product Reviews
You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. If you’re trying to decide which unit to buy – check out my in-depth reviews section. Some reviews are over 60 pages long when printed out, with hundreds of photos! I aim to leave no stone unturned.
2
Read My Sports Gadget Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent GPS watch guide here, and cycling GPS computers here. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? I also just put together my complete ‘Gear I Use’ equipment list, from swim to bike to run and everything in between (plus a few extra things). And to compliment that, here’s The Girl’s (my wife’s) list. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by!
3
Have some fun in the travel section.
I travel a fair bit, both for work and for fun. Here’s a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that I’ve put together and posted. I’ve sorted it all by world geography, in an attempt to make it easy to figure out where I’ve been.
4
My Photography Gear: The Cameras/Drones/Action Cams I Use Daily
The most common question I receive outside of the “what’s the best GPS watch for me” variant, are photography-esq based. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, I’ve complied this “My Photography Gear” post for your curious minds (including drones & action cams!)! It’s a nice break from the day-to-day sports-tech talk, and I hope you get something out of it!
5
The Swim/Bike/Run Gear I Use List
Many readers stumble into my website in search of information on the latest and greatest sports tech products. But at the end of the day, you might just be wondering “What does Ray use when not testing new products?”. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! DC Rainmaker 2023 swim, bike, run, and general gear list. But wait, are you a female and feel like these things might not apply to you? If that’s the case (but certainly not saying my choices aren’t good for women), and you just want to see a different gear junkies “picks”, check out The Girl’s Gear Guide too.
Purple underwear!
Great beaches
watching welch and Scott in 1994
I was watching the Kona documentary last year and decided that an ironman triathlon would be a fun thing to do. At that stage I didn’t have a bike. I am now about to do my first half ironman.
Reliving the race with friends who competed.
watching it on tv
My cousin and I rented bikes and a rack, drove to the top of Haleakela (on Maui), and descended for 90 minutes to Pa’ia, where we stopped at Charley’s and ate a single, enormous pancake. (My cousin misheard the instructions and got a short stack, which is like a foot in diameter and over 2 inches thick.) My friend from Hawai’i drove shuttle (I might say, “Hah!” when I think about it, but driving shuttle is a holy, sacred thing. (stiffles laughter). No seriously. I’m gonna pay for this bad karma.)
Snorkeling at the pier
Chrissie last year injured and still kicking butt
My coach- Keena is doing Kona! Cheering her on, living all the pictures she’s sharing and looking forwsrd to competing there myself one day!
Tracking my coach as she racd
Reading Chrissie Wellington’s book
When “The Man” was racing.
Favorite memory is the one that is about to happen tomorrow, going to be epic!
My friend, Mike Giles, qualified for Kona this year after approx 12 IM’s and a numerous years of trying to qualify.
Great story about hard work and perseverance.
Hearing about his race will be my best future Kona related memory :)
My coach is in it and gonna rock it!
I’d love to win.
Maui was great!
riding the Kohala Mountain Rd
Kona… I’m picturing a future memory. One that hasn’t taken place, since I have never been there!
Dave Scott and Mark Allen and their Iron war
Always love watching the swim start.
Doing my first triathlon next weekend, so this watch will be perfect.
The first time I watched The Ironman race 2009 in Kona from Youtube. It got me inspired to start swimming. I never thought about swimming, cause I’m pretty weak with water (I get cold easily). I’ve been cycling and running for most of the time. But the swimming part from the Ironman just got stuck in my head until it reach the point where I just need to try. It’s true after the first swimming, I was sneezing like crazy, ignoring the discomfort from my nose. I swam again the next day. Now I spend most of my afternoon swimming, trying to get the correct move and figuring out how I can join the Ironman race in Kona.
Macca shaking hands with raelert before taking off to win his second championship.
Working hard to get there and make some memoried
Working hard to get there to make some memories.
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My first two mountain bikes were Kona :) love them still..
I will pretend I’m in Hawaii while racing Rev3 this weekend in South Carolina!
Trying to imagine the atmosphere in Kona but via my little sceen hard to get. DC don’t forget about your International fiends!
Crowie cramping and STILL setting the record in 2011!
Normann Stadler winning on the bike in 2006!
Love Kona for it’s beauty and laid back atmosphere!
Watching the regular joes finish right at the time cutoff
Chrissie Wellington winning four times!
drjaym@juno.com
Felling inspired
Watching my buddy Jonathan Lieberman get out of the water on NBC last year!
Macadamia nuts!!!
Where I stayed in 2000 [Pateys Place] an old English competitor had to jump through hoops to compete cause on his medical history, being honest, he put his Cancer, he had to get 3 doctors appraisals to race, I was so lucky to see him finish after I did, his sense of relief and satisfaction is etched on my mind
Never been to hawaii. I like pineapples and kona coffee, though.
I also like garmin watches.
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I just like to dream about having all of the sweet gear the pros have. Cuz that’s what makes them fast right?
Go Michelle!!!!!
Wishing my Newtons made me as fast as Crowie
For us Kiwi’s it’s gotta be seeing Cam Brown, 10x IMNZ champ back at Kona again at 40.
Dick Hoyt pushing Junior to a sub-6last mile…
Coffee!
I remember vacationing in Hawaii a few times as a kid. We would go out tot eh pineapple fields and get fresh pineapple and eat it back at the hotel. It’s easy being a kid.
kona five 0
Watching Kona as a kid and thinking how crazy those folks are, now I want to be one of them.
Kona underpants run
I dropped my ForeRunner 310XT the other day and cracked the screen. Winning this would be awesome!
I want to run marathon one day
watching Dave and Scott battle it out on the lava fields in the 80’s…
Never been to Hawai, but I love the first commentor’s suggetion that they do it in Hawaiian shirts…
Spontaneously booking a flight to Kona with my girlfriend earlier this week and finding a place to stay on Ali’i drive (here right now) on CraigList last minute so we could come enjoy the atmosphere with everyone… big day tomorrow, can’t wait to see what it’s like so I know why I’m training so hard to earn a slot one of these years!
-Garrett
Watching Kona with my kids and having them tell me they are gonna do it with me!!!
This Aug was my first trip to Hawaii – 2 days on business. I can’t wait to get back. Kona would be a dream; but Hawaii 70.3 looks like a good excuse.
NBC’s coverage highlighting double amputee Scott Rigsby and his journey through the finish. Or 81 yr old Lou Hollander competing in his 22 Ironman. Those are etched in my mind when I want ti skip a workout.
Hitting refresh on my phone all day for Macca’s 2nd win because I wasn’t home to watch it
Getting goosebumps while watching my first race.
Kona coffee and good diving! Need to visit again.
Chrissie’s last win
I started triathlon after watching the ironman documentary, if a 80 year old doctor can do it, me too!!!!!!
When I heard about Kona I checked out YouTube. Seeing Chrissie puncture and then be given a replacement cartridge by a competitor, great sports(wo)man-ship. DougT
Swimming!
Thanks for the giveaway Ray! I was away from the internet when you did your previous “Giveaway Extravaganza”, so I’m glad to get a chance in this contest (although a very small chance).
I have been wanting to do a big race, perhaps a duathlon (I don’t really like swimming that much). I haven’t been to Hawaii and don’t really watch many races, so I’m afraid I can’t really answer the questions you asked.
If I do win, I live in the US, not in France so make sure to ship the right power adapter. Hope you are having a good time in your new place.
Chrissies smile from her first win, and every single mile since!
Chrissie
Kona… it is in my head, when the training becomes really hard, when I’m about to quit… then I think of it. It’s my Mount Everest, the top of the world!
Kona is far far awayland for me. Hawaii makes me feel like riding the big waves on a surfboard.
The man with ALS rolling across the finish line!
Biking on my trainer while watching the 2006 Race with Norman Stadler
Watching on TV a few years back, vowing to try a tri after having another baby, and then finishing my first sprint tri this spring when baby#2 was 11 months old :)
Never been to Kona but next year doing first 70.3
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The first time i saw a coverage of the race i was amazed of the effort that the age groupers put into.. They struggled to the finish line..!!
Very inspiring..!
Keep up the good work Ray..!!
the war: Mark Allen and Dave Scott in 1989!
Do you really have to be in your underwear?
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Best Sunset ever Kailua,Kona
I would really like to go to Hawaii someday to watch the race!
Rooting for Matt Russell to have a great race!
The moment the canon fires.
Seeing myself finishing Kona :)
That was a dream :(
Wellington and Carfrae
The fact that it looks nothing like my ‘island’ in the Pacific and very much like New Zealand – that was my impression of Hawaii. And Captain Cook.
Ridiculous heat and winds
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Lieto almost getting his KONA victory.
My first Kona memory was roughly 5 hours ago when my son in law said he wanted all of us to come along when he raced Kona. I said, “What’s that?” Then I visited your blog and saw this. Coincidence? I think not! I am not a triathlete like my SIL, but I am a runner, and I would love a new Garmin!
Live broadcast on ironman.com
in TV you can see the beautiful sea and imagine how windy Kona is.
I heard Hawaii is nice….maybe one day !!!!
Remembering very first video of Kona I saw, tought they were nuts, now think they’re superheroes ;-)
Remember when I first saw a Kona video… Chilling!
My favorite moment is the first time I saw a documentary about “Ironman” and learnt about all these endless possibilities in triathlon.
Reading how Greg Welch finally won Kona in ’94 in rec.sports.triathlon. No Triathlon websites back then!
Not Kona, but Julia’s banana bread on Maui….mmmm!