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.
-
Check out my weekly podcast - with DesFit, which is packed with both gadget and non-gadget goodness!
-
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.
macca!
seeing Thomas Magnum win in 1981 (S1 E18) …
Great one.
My earliest vague memory is seeing some football player struggle and I think dnf on Wide World of Sports when I was a kid.
watching people suffer at kona on wide world of sports and thinking to myself, “i want that to be me someday.” still working on the dream…
Watching Peter Reid make it look easy. And I know it’s not easy, but he was a machine.
Kona? Youtube, a few minutes ago :)
Gatorade commercial where Chris Legh collapsed and almost died as he approached the finish line…I thought IM must be the hardest thing ever – but now I’m gearing up for #3!
streaming over a crappy DSL connection in 2005…
thanks!
The first time I saw the ironman Kona was from website in 2012. I really like Leanda Cave , I will try it one day.
First vague memory was late 70s with a Wide World of Sports clip of one of the early races when there were a number of Navy Seals who dominated the standings. Most vivid memory is the 1982 Julie Moss race.
Watching Rinny absolutely crush it on the run last year.
Most vivid memory, Julie Moss crawling. Must show that to my daughters…
Watching McCormack and Raelert fight it out in 2010!
Seeing in the news the Mark Allen compete with Dave Scott. That’s probably back in the 80s or early 90s
Watching Julie Moss crawl to the finish line after leading the majority of the race as an unknown college student. Goes to show how exhausting it is to finish.
Sometime in the mid eighties. I remember thinking they were crazy. I never thought I would want to do one….
Watching Dave Scott and Mark Allen back in the 80’s and early 90’s
Watching a a female finalist struggle on the last meters of the run, who was leading until then and essentially had to crawl to the finish. She did not win, even though she lead almost all the way, but she pulled through in the face of complete exhaustion.
My best memory was watching the Iron War with Mark Allen and Dave Scott on YouTube as I was preparing for a 20,000yards swim for my swim team.
Why can’t I use Bluetooth LE?
Pete Jacob’s run
Watching a copy of NBC’s Ironman broadcast while spinning in my stateroom for hours on end during my 2013-14 deployment.
The Iron War!
Watching as a kid not knowing how it would shape my life!
1st watched it on telly 3 years ago, after I got off the sofa and went on an impromptu made up triathlon, hooked ever since!!
Watching Julie Moss fight to the end after listening to her interview on NPR’s Radiolab(“Limits”).
Mark Allen, sometime in the eighties……
Increadibly enough last year was my first year watchling live coverage. I was impressed by how devastated Ivan raña crossed the line after an incredible marathon
Iron War 1989, Dave Scott and Mark Allen side by side until the last miles of the run
Julie Moss
That Julie Moss crawling bit, forever seared into my teenage mind!
Watching it on tv as a teenager in 1984 in North Carolina. Couldn’t believe what they were doing.
watching Chris Lieto explode after killin it on the bike
The Julie moss crawl – ’82
Watching last year with my family at home via live streaming.
Watching it from my small apartment in DC dreaming of doing an Ironman myself!
Watching Julie Moss’s inspirational finish!
We watched the 2011 Ironman recap of Chrissie Wellington’s win. It brought me chills. I was hooked from that point forward.
I’ve watched several editions on TV or streamed through the website. 2 years ago I went to Kona for a work meeting about 2 weeks before the event. Being able to see all those iconic sights and meeting several of the pros (Chris Lieto) in person, and driving the course put it all in context. What an awesome and extremely hard event!
Kona? Kona coffee. Ah.
My first contact with the sport was to see Mark Allen and Dave Scott give it a go in 86 (not sure!). At the time I was involved in track and field and had to clear idea of what an IM was. I was astounded when I learned the details!
Dick and Rick Hoyt maybe 95ish, just blown away by their amazing efforts and what they did and had already done together, made me think about my excuses.
when I was 15 and I was completely jacked up watching it!
Julie Moss
Seeing Rinny smashing the run last year whilst I was still coming in on the bike….
The first year this nobody named Wellington crushed the field.
I have a number of great memories of kona. One these days I need to learn to swim. :-)
Watching Luke take second place last year and his pure joy.
watching Julie Moss crawl, early 80’s….amazing
The first time I saw Kona was in 2007. I was in 5th grade at the time and saw Macca win his first Ironman Championship. After that I was hooked!
I love watching Ironman!
Julie Moss in ’82 – I still get wet eyes from watching it
Watching Pete Jacobs win-first time I’d watched the streamed coverage
2012 on internets
first Kona – 2 years ago via internet
Watching mark Allen and Dave Scott battle And make it a race
Julie Moss on Wide World of Sports, but my favorite was watching Dave Scott and Mark Allen go at it all of those years culminating in the 89 IronWar
I visited Kona 2007. Waauw
Love seeing the start with the swim! So cool!
Kuiru 5th 1989
Macca win.
YouTube a few years ago. Watching the pros kill it.
Hanging around in the sofa watching the streaming event every year. It’s the only sports event we’d be watching together.
Watching Mirinda Carfrae boss things. On top of that though, seeing the support she was getting from fellow pros was pretty amazing. Respect shown by all and touches of real class.
Watching Mark Allen and Dave Scott in the early 90s on NBC maybe wide world of sports.
Chrissie Wellington standing on the Podium for her last win, with muscle and tendon exposed from recent road wounds. Clearly proving she is in fact an cyborg.
; which explains her super human performance.
The intense feeling at the start and the rush when the cannon shoots.
Team Hoytt!
Last year victory of FVL :)
Watching chrisie wellington come from nowhere to win her first championship class!
Watched on YouTube a couple of years ago.. Still I can’t imagine myself on an ironman.. But hey.. I still got some time left..
2011 YouTube, new PT was talking about being a Kona finisher, I had to check it out. Now I’m hooked.
First memory was as a kid watching Julie Moss struggling to the finish.
Watching Crowie win his first Ironman Championship a few years ago.
Watching Faris Al-sultan carrying the Bavarian Flag…
A friend of mine, his wife-to-be, my husband and me sitting in said friend’s living room, our bikes on trainers and pedalling the night away (being in Sweden start is at 19hrs00) watching the competitions in Kona. Such fun then and just as much fun to watch yesterday!
Darryl Haley – 1995. come to the finish line about 15 min before cutoff time… great spirit!!
Chci ho… ;-)
I’ve watched it every year for as long as I can remember but last year seeing Gordon Ramsey compete made me realize that if a celebrity chef can do it, so can I.
I remember watching athletes compete on my parents old black and white TV that had rabbit ears. I believe it was shown on Wide World of Sports at that time. I recall seeing numerous athletes either sitting down or lying down looking extremely dejected. My thought was: “What were they doing that made them feel this way?” From that day forward, I was hooked on Ironman Kona.
Never heard about Kona before, but trying my luck anyway.
Watching Mirinda Carfrae destroy the run field last year before jumping into her fiancé’s arms and saying “I’ll pay for the wedding!”
Thinking these athletes are by far the most versatile athletes and maybe one day I could be one. 2005.
Watching the last 30 minutes before the 17 hour mark.
I remember just getting inspired!
Watching Hines Ward chugging through the race in 2013!
Growing up as a kid watching NBC’s coverage of Kona in the 80s and 90s
it was 5 years ago for the first time to watch the whole broadcast on my computer – I never seen any IronMan before. It was that special day I will always remember.
Seeing ‘What It Takes’
remember my first ironman i ever watch was the 1997 and the moment Sian Welch and Wendy Ingraham finished was unbelievable, I’t was the first time I saw some one crawling to the finish line. what a spirit they both had and for 4th place!!
First time this year cheering for my friend – WOW!!!!
The only thing I know any Kona is the runners/cyclists along the beautiful Hawaii backdrop.
I love watching the first timers. The dedication, the drive, the excitement!
watching Mirinda Carfrae’s run at the 2013 world championships
Wendy Ingraham and Sian Welch. Enough said.
lovely kona mtb, rented for a mtb trek through Myanmar
Seeing a documentary about 1989 Ironwar. It just fascinated me. Been running and pedaling ever since. Forget swimming…
Christie Wellington’s phenomenal race & win a few years ago with a bruised & battered body from a previous crash.
Mark Allen on one those NBC Sports specials on Kona.
Julie Moss
Seeing Julie Moss being all sorts of crazy…
i’ll never forget watching about a decade ago and seeing someone go “jelly-legs” in the dark trying to finish. for some weird reason, that inspires me.
I’ve only started watching in the last few years, but it still sucks me in every time.
Watching Chrissy’s last year at Kona.
My earliest memory was watching one of the athletes crawl on the ground towards the finish!!
have only watched a few times – seeing triathlons on television usually makes me feel guilty about not going for a workout myself.
Looking at the race day pics on slowtwitch
The inspirational stories of people over coming obstacles, like cancer, just finish.
julie moss crawls to the finish. thanks.
It was a long time ago, and I was quite young. There was a snippet of the race on a sports magazine program. I remember a guy riding a bike in a speedo. Then I decided I wanted to be a triathlete.
Watching crowie winning ….
Watching in awe at the scorched exposure of the bike with athletes tacking against the wind
Multisport expo in Bethesda/white flint (or whatever that area is called…)
Watching replays of my coach’s wife come in third in her age group a few years ago. Pretty awesome.
The classic Wide World of Sports shot of Julie Moss struggling to cross the finish line. Most triathletes over 50 has this scene burned in their memory cells
Just before my freshman year in 1987 I watched American Flyers (on VHS) for the first time and then proceeded to watch it whenever my parents allowed (every weekend). I wanted to start riding and found a great deal on a Panasonic 2000 at ACE hardware. I had already been a swimmer and played water polo when on ABC’s wide world of sports the showed the Ironman and this guy. . .Dave Scott won. . . a former water polo player. . .He became my hero. . . You would think that was all she wrote. . .but alas. ..I not only suck at running. . .I suck at running. . LOL. . .I still ride and swim and run occasionally during the year for a couple sprint triathlons. . .
My first time to see Kona Ironman was in 1990. Hehehe. It was actually an accident. It was the first time we went to Hawaii and we just happen to stumble on it as tourists. We were wondering why people were congregating so we were curious and watched the road with them. It was amazing seeing these athletes. I remember thinking back then that I would never be able to do what they did when I found out about the distances they were swimming, running, and biking. Now, I’m aiming to do a full Ironman in a couple to three years.
About 20 years ago, I remember seeing part of a Kona race on TV and thinking that the sport was insane. Even though I’ve been doing Oly tris for 5 years, I still think Kona, and IM distance races are insane.
I remember years ago pulling up the race on YouTube because a buddy of mine was hoping to run it. I couldn’t believe what those athletes were capable of!
Watched the bike part on-line a couple of years ago as one Latvian athletes was participating – admired all the field for doing this.
My BEST and FIRST memory of Kona was what inspired me to begin endurance sports – back in 2011…watching Craig Alexander …all but an afterthought after a non-podium finish the year before…blow past the competition into a record setting time and a 3rd Championship! Got Crowie!!
I remember seeing the Julie Moss/Kathleen McCartney race in 1982.
My first thought, man, I could never do that!
Amazed at the perseverance required to complete
I remember watching Ironman, probably in the late 80’s as a kid. It blew my mind that someone could combine three endurance events and finish them.
I have no idea who Kona is
A recent best memory was 2012 (I think) when Crissy Wellington was injured in a bike crash two weeks prior and came from behind, from what she called feeling only “80 percent healthy” to win. I wish she would give it another go, she is incredible.
Got hooked on the NBC coverage for years. Finally had a chance to vacation in Hawaii and see the course up close….but only as a tourist. Still think people are nuts for doing them. :-)
Saw a summary when I was a kid in the 80s. I wish I had picked up swimming at the time…
I watched it last yeah and it inspired me to do my first triathlon this summer.
It was a great match!
Watching a documentary on Dave Allen and Mark Scott battle it out
First memory of Ironman coverage was a picture in Triathlete magazine of Dave Scott on his old steel frame clunker tearing up the lava fields. Well before the Interwebs and magazines arrived before TV coverage in those days.
Even though i always heard and knew about Kona, i didn’t really pay much attention to it while growing up. Only have after participated in some triathlons i learned to appreciate the incredible efforts people like Craig Alexander and Chrissie Wellington put to win these events.
My first memory of Kona is when I watched the Iron War with Mark Allen and Dave Scott. Amazing!
I remember watching it about 5 years ago, which caused me to start training for my first tri.
Haven’t heard about Kona before, but trying my luck anyway. Pick me! Pick me!
First memory — four years ago watching with my then girlfriend and now wife! She cried the entire time.
Watching the Julie Moss and Kathleen McCartney race in 1982. That was great!!!!
I have actually not watched it until this year. Polar’s Youtube channel has been showing clips from the event this year so that’s my only memory of it :)
When I was like…. how do they pee?
Watching julie moss crossing the finish line on youtube. Amazing
First time I watched Kona was when I was about 12. I said to myself some day I will do an Ironman. 20 years later I have my first half ironman in 10 days. Stoked…
I first heard aboutKona as it was mentioned so in a book I read. A couple of hours spent reading about the race, I can‘t wait until race reports hit it online!
Watched it during my first season of training for triathlons. Yes, I started in September and remember watching Kona on a 13″ laptop on a barstool set up in front of my aerobars. Good times! Then 2 years later I did the same thing and watched Macca take it, and re-watched the last 15 minutes of the race every time since then for inspiration. Should be a great one this year!
Watching a female finalist struggling on the last few meters of the run, who was leading until then and had to crawl to the finish (awesome determination) . She did not win but she completed the run.
Saw a summary when I was a kid in the 80s. I wish I had picked up swimming at the time! Although I wasn’t a fan of the speedos at the time.
Chrissie Wellington winning the race in spite of get a flat tire and blowing out all her CO2 on the bike leg.
Watching the telecasts many year ago on TV thinking that no real human can do this. I started tris in 2006 and just raced my first IM at Madison this year — I beat my goal by 1:20.
It is now crazy that I feel more stressed racing 5ks and Sprints vs 70.3s and IMs. Feel good with the long efforts. The shorter, total red-line races now cause me to question why I am doing them . . . . .
In the age of 18 years, i saw my first Ironman Championship on TV. On this time, i wasn’t able to run 100m. 20 years later i am a 5time Ironman :-))))
I don’t remember when I begin to spend a whole weekend watching internet (its something like: one thing I did last weekend…)…
My first memory is actually a YouTube video of Julie Moss’ famous finish at Kona.
Can’t remember where, not even when, just remember being awed! (many moons ago)
Watched with my brother while eating chips. Looked at the chips halfway thru the pros’ bike and threw them out.
Several years ago I watched the Iron Nun complete Kona on tv & loved it.
I love wathcing the people who come in last, just barely making the cutoff.
And the famous finishes like Julie Moss!
My first ever memory of Kona was when Peter Reid was the Ironman Champion (the first time). I remember thinking “wow this guy is from a small town in Canada just like me” and it made me realize that athletes aren’t limited to big cities with overwhelming resources. I waited the whole year and waited to see Re-Pete (I coined the phrase and nickname for him) take his second title. I was shocked to find out that unlike the other guys who won it 6 times there was actually others out there competing and it wasn’t a sport dominated by a single guy for several years. I just had to tune in the third year and see Pete finally Re-Pete and I’ve been watching it on and off since then.
Thanks to you and Clever Training for their generosity and willingness to give us spectators a prize of our own to hope for!
Chrissy Wellington getting a flat and having to get CO2 from another athlete
Who’s Kona? – Thanks for the reviews!
When I was about 7 years old I lived on, Kalainpu’u St parallel to the course of the Honolulu marathon, so I got to see the first ever ironman race run past my house in the late 70’s and my brother and I waited for hours to watch them, I can’t remember if we actually saw them or not but we waited with our hose to cool them all down.
Watching Dick Hoyt & Rick Hoyt (team Hoyt) racing and finishing!
Kona underpants run!
Watching in person folks training on course in that nasty nasty headwind
Watching it on either ABC or NBC, I can’t remember. But really getting emotional watching people that didn’t make it, or just some of the stories associated with it. I also thought it was something crazy that white people did, like running in the dead of winter in Michigan…..but I can’t hate anymore cuz I’ve done both.
watching my coach finish under 10 hours. amazing
Chrissie Wellington, amazing race !
Saw Harriet Anderson finish Kona on TV then my wife told me her coworker is Harriet’s niece.
Watching it on the web with my twins boys several years ago. They said thats what you do dad! I said, no, not really, not like they do!!
Watching Welch and Ingraham crawl across the finish in 97 was my first time…CRAZY!
Watching Crowie cross the line with Pete Jacobs not far behind in 2011. It’s always great to see Aussies up at the pointy end so all the recent years have been memorable. Fingers crossed for Luke Mckenzie for the win this year!
I saw it on a shirt “Pain for now but Inronman Kona FOREVER”. I had to check that!
I’m getting hungry!
Watched the 2009 live stream!
I remember when I was in Australia watching it with no idea about triathlon thinking it was some video game thing and didn’t understood why they had such tight running t-shirts to run
Oh when I was in high school. I would get emotional and the stories and triumphs of the race. So epic.
I really enjoyed watching Kona it was one of the most thrilling Ironmans.
The first time I tuned in was to eventually watch Macca win. I was watching streaming coverage on my laptop off and on. The most memorable part was watching footage of someone peeing while on his bike and then having the commentator say “yep, he’s peeing on his bike” classic.
Ironman is overrated.
it was tonight .. i never watched it. i justc hecked on youtube and watched. Amazing. !
My best memory is chatting with one of my clients last year a couple of weeks after he completed Kona. Just amazing to hear about it from someone that had qualified and competed.
It was a long time ago when I heard about Kona. I’ve seen some YouTube videos and thought I could never match the performance of those guys!
In 2011, Brazilian IndyCar drivers Vitor Meira and Tony Kanaan both finished the Ironman in Kona
Years ago, Kona was “the” ironman to me, I actually didn’t realise there was any other ironman races out there!
I saw it for the first time last year and was completely captivated by it. I am a new/baby triathlete, having only completed in a sprint triathlon. Watching those athletes compete at that level was awe inspiring.
Crissie with her bikeproblems and then winning!
last year when van lierde won!
and a good friend was participating.
go belgium!
Not easy to see in the UK before live streaming
My best memory of Kona is pizza. I love all the coverage and the different story lines of the pros and age groupers, but I always seem to had a pizza just delivered when I flip through the channels and see the event is being aired.
My best memory of watching Kona is seeing all the lava rock greetings along the route.
I first heard about Kona on the cover of a triathlon magazine. I’m in away of anyone who qualifies to participate. I could only dream of such a thing.
First time in a newspaper in the 1980s.
Live in 2001
I remember seeing Faris on his bike with a Powerbar bottle in his speedo.
I first watched it on TV with my dad. I was probably in middle school. I found the race and accompanying stories so inspiring that I teared up a bit. (I think my dad did, too.)
Sunday Wide World of Sports delayed (by months) hour highlights package of Greg Welchs first win and first ever Non-American winner.
Started putting the Gas heater on in when running round the lounge room to Kona proof my future running career.
That swim start is always so amazing. The water is so Blue!
Mostly youtube vids, and I have no idea what year… but I was mesmerized.
A former associate professor used to take part …. and the guy was in a shape you wouldn’t even bet more than 2 cents that he could run a 2k race
Wow!
The first time I ever saw the swim start was just amazing. Like a fish feeding frenzy.
First thought: Awesome!
it is about 2 years ago when I saw great finish or Julie Moss in the Ironman Hawaii. It was on a YouTube.
Watched it on TV a long time ago, pretty awesome!
The first time I watched Kona, I had recently read Chrissy Wellington’s book, and I thought, huh, I wonder if there are clips of these races on YouTube. I ended up binge watching for probably three or four hours.
I first saw a summary of the Worlds when fellow Belgian Luc van Lierde won it back in 1996.
I’ve been a marathon runner for some time but the first video of Kona I watched was the 2010 championship. After leading most of the race Chris McCormack was caught but managed to pull away for the win. I was kind of awestruck that you could have the energy to pull away after hours and hours of racing…
I remember watching Dave Scott win his 6th in 1987. I didn’t know anything about triathlons at the time but I was in awe after watching him gut it out and listening to the TV announcers talk about his previous victories during the show.
Few years ago just starting to get interest in triathlon. I was wathing Norman Stadler on bike then fall asleep during the race since I am from europe and race was late at night.
Watching Chrissie dominate with a Smile or 2013 following 2 friends as they competed.
I remember watching Ironman on TV as a kid, thinking those guys are nuts. Fast forward 20 years, I starting tri’s myself and then binge watched all the Ironman broadcasts on YouTube. I’m always blubbering during the midnight crossings. Someday…
Faris’ bottle inserted into speedo cannot be unseen. After I watched IM Kona for the first time I binged watched all the NBC recaps and started thinking “this is ridiculous, what normal person would do this!?” and then I started doing it.
My best memory is that of Chrissie Wellington having a flat and using up her CO2 before fitting it to the valve.
The mental strength to come back from that is impressive.
Thanks for the opportunity.
I expect my best Kona memory to be laid down tomorrow, when I have a good friend participating for the first time ever. Go Janis!
I first watched it on tv as a kid with my dad. I always love watching the final finishers come in at the end.