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!
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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.
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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.
Watching Chrissie Wellington come out of the water way behind her usual time because of her bike wreck and then go on to crush the field. EPIC!!
2012 was the first year I watched, and it was great to see Woodrow Freese in his legacy spot (I’m a BU grad.) NBC’s coverage was nice to include the age-groupers, but man I just wish there were *more* coverage, across the field.
I still got chills every time I watch a replay of the Iron Wars!!!
Watching any of Crowie’s performances, hopefully he can get one more. If not that, then watching Rinny set a course record in 2013.
On a lazy sunday afternoon about 3 years ago. Immediately went for a run directly after.
Seeing Julie Moss finish in 1982. When I watch it on you tube now, I still tear up. Incredible show of courage.
Watching my teammate win his age group last year! Awesome!
Stadler’s bike throw. Waah.
Watching the result of Jensen Button from F1 struggle his way round.
Just watched a clip on youtube.
It has to be the crawl in 1997 (Welch & Ingraham), complete physical breakdown but no quitting.
Watched it about 7 years ago thinking ‘what a crazy sport.’ Of course a few years later I was a triathlete.
Watching Chrissie Wellington in 09
Watching the swim start, and the blue water.
Reruns of Dave Scott and Mark Allen running stupid fast in the heat.
Always watched the produced, 2 hour long version of Kona. But few years ago my wife and I actually put on the live stream and watched…the entire thing, uncut, unedited (many many hours). Didn’t even notice how long it really took. Needless to say we had to do our own fuel replenishment though without burning quite so many calories as the athletes.
I remember watching and screaming for Chrissy Wellington in my living room!
Watching this crazy race on TV with a massively long ocean swim and thinking, “I could never do that.” How things change!
I’ve seen a few live broadcasts but the Julie Moss crawl-to-the-finish is absolutely the most indelible memory.
Highlights on TV, years ago.
Watching the Iron Wars over, and over, and over, and over again.
Being a Bostonian it was seeing pictures of Dick Hoyt doing the race with his son in the Boston Globe when I was a kid. It never dawned on me the drive it took for Dick to push like that.
I watched it for the first time on YouTube a couple years ago. Watching that is what got me to try my first sprint triathlon.
Julie Moss’ crawl to the finish line in 1982, via YouTube. I was barely a few months old when that actually happened, and I was interested in seeing the history of the sport.
Ive watched a number of ironmans and the most inspiring story has to be Rick and Dick Hoyt at Kona. A truly inspirational team and a showcase of both a strong bond and how anyone can compete and finish an ironman with a bit of determination and courage.
Watching athletes literally crawl to the finish line online.
When i just googled it to find out what it is.
Definitely Mark Allen in 89, great to watch over and over during turbo trainer sesions.
Too much glue!
Watching Mirinda Carfrae catch up with the pro men on the run in last year’s race. My 11 year old niece was watching too, it was great to see her get fired up about what women can accomplish in sport.
1984. As a kid, watching the Puntous twins on Wide World of Sports. It felt so huge watching two Canadians and sisters compete.
watching some random clips on Youtube a few years back while wearing my Timex Ironman branded watch and just daydreaming….
I watch IM KONA moments on Youtube lot of times, and I always think “one day I will do it!”
Not sure the year but I remember watching Mark Allen dominate in the early 90’s. I think we all wore those awful oakleys then.
I’m new to Endurance Sports, 2013 was he first year I watched.
Mike
The winning male and female finisher smile is priceless
3 years ago. I whatched it and that was my motivation to buy a bike! :D
I remember watching my first kona on TV in ’94. As a proud Aussie, watching my first race and seeing Greg Welch win.
It was watching a stream online of a friend from home compete. It was such a surreal experience even via the internet.
My first Kona memory is from 2005. I remember watching the dane Torbjørn Sindballe putting in a whoopping 40km/h+ something for the cycling part (at the time a record for the cycling part of the race). It was the race the race that inspired me to get in to road cycling.
inspiring sunday afternoon, couldnt imagine what i was watching
Continually updating the website to see if my friends were going to make the cutoff
don’t know for sure. Perhaps last year or the year before, I stayed up and watched it after midnight on tv. It’s more than impressive what this crazy guys do.
Seeing Mirinda Carfrae do a 5 min mile to cap off her race last year. I haven’t run a 5 min mile since I was 16!
My favourite Kona-moment is yet to come if I win the 920XT ;)
I’ve only ever caught snippets on TV, but I aim to change that soon!
watching them bike in the extreme heat
A sports science program where they were trying to prove a “normal” person could do Kona with 6 months training. He really suffered!
First time I heard about Kona bikes was around one and a half years ago when I wanted to buy a professional bike and joining my friends in their biking activities. It was here in Espoo Finland in a bike store named Game Bike.
Magnum P.I. In Honolulu
Of course Thomas Magnum and his car :-) And a lot of TV documents related to diving.
I’m sorry, but I’ve never seen kona thriathlon…
but i like running, cycling and the garmin FR 920 xt ;-)
Just watched NBC’s highlights on 2012 Ironman World Championship, Kona. It was so impressive and a touching human drama. I love it.
Was in Hawaii for work in the early 90’s didn’t really know what ironman was and saw some of the last fishers coming in late at night.
The start of the swim is always amazing.
You say Kona, I think coffee.
But I’ve only been running for about a year now (300+ miles, lost 40 lbs so far!). So maybe I’m not athletic enough yet to watch something like an ironman tri.
So I’ve got the 2011 NBC coverage playing now. So far: more interesting than “Le Tour”
TC convincing Magnum to enter
Years ago watching a special on tv and being blown away … and motivated.
Watching Miranda scorch the run last year!
Watching Greg Welch doing it for Oz!
I remember the first time watching the race, being amazed at the conditions–the heat and wind. I was in HS at the time and had never raced further than 5K in conditions like that, much less a full tri.
Last year I played sick and stayed home to watch the race on the live stream
Wide World of Sports: Julie Moss crawling to the finish!
Hoi Ray,
I’ve never seen an Ironman race before!
But last summer there was a nice relay Triathlon with participants from different countries in my city. (Weert, the Netherlands)
I remember watching parts of it in documentaries in the 80’s and being so impressed at the level of fitness of the competitors. Very motivating.
First watched it in 2011, and then bought a tri bike and never looked back!
Watching Rinny last year inspired me to try triathlon. Now I am addicted. Can’t wait for this year, going to be awesome.
Watching Macca win his first Kona right around the time I was getting into the sport. I am from KY and grew up learning about Muhammed Ali, and the brashness of Macca was similar so I immediately became a fan.
I scrolled through a lot of entries until I first saw someone mention Julie Moss. I remember thinking that I wanted to do something like that someday. To rise to a challenge and overcome something in such a brave way.
Few years ago I channel surfed tv stations and saw a clip of the Kona. Maybe 2010? Anyway, it really made me want to do not the full ironman but a tri race. At the moment i only do half marathons and duathlons, but maybe in the future…
Late 80’s when the big battles finally pushed the major networks to cover it.
Watching Normann Stadler yell in German about his flat tire and throw his bike around. I yell in (fake) German every time I get a flat. Love it.
I first watched the Ironman World Championship 2 years ago, and that was the 2011 version of the NBC program. I have been hooked ever since, and that was the beginning of my dream to do a full ironman one day. Next season i will be starting my first sprint and olympic distance triathlons!
Being a geologist = watching race and seeing volcanic scenery. Double bonus.
First learnt about Kona here; courtesy of Ray’s articles on his races then watched a few YouTube clips – but have always watched SA triathlon races, plenty of excitement there.
The Hoyts when their bike broke. They missed the run cut-off, did it anyway, and were passing people at the end.
Gordon Ramsey in 2013 on a magazine!
Watched bits and pieces on a sports channel some years ago and thinking: “these guys are nuts”. Now I’m planning an Ironman for my 40th. 3 years from now.
Last year was the first time I saw coverage, it was epic!
Watching the future NFL hall of famer, Hines Ward compete and finish Kona just last year.
Watching on Wide World of Sports as a kid and wondering why someone couldn’t get up and walk 400 yards from the finish after 140 miles…
Watching Alexander win the race inspires my drive to get out there everyday. What a great race!
Henning passing Craig Alexander in 2012 and the handshake.
When I first started thinking about increasing distance to the full course, I watched a lot of videos from previous races. The one that always sticks out in my mind is the swim start taped from below. Crazy to watch all the competitors hanging out in the water and going horizontal at the same time.
The Ironwar: Mark Allen & Dave Scott 1989
I watched it online last year! Super cool, I hope I have a chance to travel over there and watch in person sometime.
Seeing my friend Fran finish!
Watching everyone come into the finish. It is exciting every year.
There was an 80 year old runner whose best health advice was ‘to go anaerobic everyday’. I’m still working on that one but I think about his advice often.
Last year, and it was the most inspiring sport even I had ever watched on TV!!
Crowie’s course record in 2011. I had the livestream running for almost the whole race… it just kept going and going and going.
Watching someone crawl across the finish line.
Cristian Bustos in 92, finally lost to Mark Allen but he was definitely a revelation and made us chilean all proud.
Paula Newby Fraser
Probably late 1980s on TV. Was hooked on pro cycling around that time and the Tour de France coverage. Stumbled upon the Ironman on TV and couldn’t believe there was anything tougher than a stage in the tour. Too cool, thanks to you and Clever for the awesome giveaway chances!
Chrissie Wellington first win, with a smile !
I noticed the IM Kona a few years go, when started exploring multisports… It seemed nice for my bucket list… It convinced me last year when I saw the bike race passing by all those lava fields… Amazing scenery!
best memory ever: Chrissie wellington blazing fast despite recent injury in 2011 , destroying every other woman in the field. #bestwomaninsportsever!
Seeing a special on NBC about it.
Amazingly impressive
I remember watching an Ironman event in the 80’s as a kid – thinking that I might try to do that someday. 30 years later, I started training…