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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!
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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.
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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!
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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 Julie Moss crawl! Wow!!
I think I saw coverage in the late 80’s and/or 90’s–it was such a fringe sport at that time and still seemed like such a crazy thing to do (it’s still slightly crazy of course, but so many people have done an Ironman now that the mystique is gone a bit). The first one I actually remember watching was Macca winning in 2010–even my wife was impressed with the show (mainly for the inspirational stories though).
Back in 80’s in Yugoslavia reading an article in an Austrian magazin and thinking: “One day”. Now 25 years later me thinking: “Maybe my children on day” I’m more of a sportive/grandfondo cyclist
The 1997 “Crawl” finish. Saw it on the interwebs or maybe some TV special years later.
Watching the 2000 race was the first time.
I joined a local tri club a while ago and I have kept my eye on fellow countrymen ever since. I guess my first was keeping my fingers crossed for Marko albert in 2011.
Full amazed watching an athlete finish in 8+ hours after some many miles!
The best moment for me: Kona 1992, Cristian Bustos in second place (he is chilean like me)
Watching Macca finally conquer Kona was pretty awesome.
Rinny winning last year! Go Australia!
Hadn’t actually watched the race itself until last year. It’s amazing, not only physical strength and endurance that these guys and gals have, but the mental fortitude to compete for that length of time. Would love to see ti in person some day.
Julie Moss is definitely my favorite.
when I think about Kona my first memory is watching the cyclist in aero position.
Watching Crowie.
Chrissie winning two weeks after her huge crash
Watching the Wide World of Sports when I was a kid and thinking that those people were completely crazy!
1992 Mark Allen vs Cristian Bustos
Watched a YouTube video of Julie moss crawling to the finishline.
Today on YT, watching some great moments thanks to recommendations in this comment thread.
I think it was via the Sweet Maria’s website. A pain free experience
Chrissie Wellington CRUSHING Kona just two weeks after her bike crash in 2011… still with the giant scar on her leg. It was painful and inspirational to watch.
Watching John Howard win after nearly drowning the previous first attempt.
Watching my buddy Chris finish.
In 2012, Crowie coming into T2 in second place. Learned from his mistakes.
Only seen a little of it here or there. Back on Wide World of Sports…
Hi Ray
I was a little child watching a tv show in early 80s (Coliseum) when I learned about Kona with Ironman and vulcanos…
Cheers
F
watching Mark Allen throw off his HRM and run down a German guy with less 10 miles to go
Got off my arse and trained! Inspiring! Doing great until…
Lat meniscus and pat to tear.
Next year!
Watching my co-worker finish last year. Pretty inspiring.
Julie Moss, memories.
The best memory of Kona is the last time I’ve done. Unfortunately it was only a dream ;-)
This leaves me more than modern media to not die stupid and no memory.
Bonne chance à tous.
I have been using Garmin’s great gps since 1995, looking forward to the next watch.
I distinctly remember watching Kona on TV, when I was 7, with my Dad. At the time, I remember thinking everyone doing it had some sort of super power to be able to go for that long! Now I’m going for that long…I just wish I had the super powers :)
2011 Ironman finish
Nothing in particular stands out. Just enjoy catching it on tv and seeing how hardcore these athletes are! So much fight and dedication. Makes my workouts look like a joke.
I remember seeing an overhead view of the swim start on the inside cover of Sports Illustrated. It was the first time I got a full appreciation of what a washing machine/group grope the swim start is!
The Best watch !
Seeing all these disable athlete going across the finish line.
Suffering on my trainer and pretending I’m there.
Definitely watching a you tube video of Rick and Dick Hoyt, unbelievably inspiring!
I’ve never watched a triathlon on TV :/
I still love watching Julie Moss famous finish. It is so strong moment…
Watching it last year on my iPad whilst turbo’ing with trainerroad
I’ve never watched it before but I read about it in a Mitch Rapp book along the way!
They Hoyt’s or Julie Moss. I’d also have to say that watching Chrissie Wellington get a flat and then ketchup to win was amazing.
I haven’t watched it, but I remember hearing about the highlights when I was little about some of the early events.
My first Kona memory was watching Julie Moss fall down and crawl in the early 80’s.
Seeing Lew Hollander, 81 years old, finishing in 2011
Watching Sian Welch & Wendy Ingraham do the crawl to the finish line.
watching it last year for the entire day, glued to my laptop with my wife beside me just as excited as i was. Seeing Starky hammer the bike and wondering how Faris can ride in speedos and a crop top!
Amazing athletes, not just the pros but the age groupers too.
FR920
Stumbled on it while looking for a football game.
I started last year swim-bike-run and spend a lot of hours watching triathlon and ironman videos. The thing I like in Kona Ironman is the great swimming start from the water.
Watching replays on late-nite TV in my hotel room in Honolulu, circa 2011. Thought to myself “why not?”
I picked up triathlon the next year. Hoping the next time I go to HI, I have to ship my bike…:-)
Dave Scott on ABC Sports!
2 years ago I watched the shortened televised version and as soon as they all began jumping into the water I was hooked!
Watching on YouTube races from Dave Scott and Mark Allen times.
Watching Rinney run down the leaders after the massive deficit between them off the bike to win her second championship!
1988 – I worked at a bike shop in Oahu and we were supporting one of the original 1978 athletes to come back and do IM for the 10 year anniversary. The build up and then the week on the big island, seeing Dave Scott & Mark Allen fight it out along with our guy just getting home.
I’ll be spectating this weekend (first time). Nice way to cap off a work trip to Hawaii. I did like watching Chrissie Wellington blow away the competition back when she was competing though.
When I watched it for the first time – seeing all the inspriational folks that have rebounded from some sort of devastation in their lives to be competing in Kona. Awesome! Best part of the sport!
2012 Ironman finish
My greatest memory is being about 10-12 years old wanting my parents so badly to change the channel when watching the coverage years ago, because it was too boring to me. Now after training for triathlon for many years I understand and appreciate the struggle that these athletes go through.
Watching the Blazeman roll across the finish line.
My first year watching any sort of coverage was the NBC show in 2008. I had no idea why anyone would put themselves through that!
I won a 4-pack, year 2008-2012 a couple years ago at a Triathlon Camp. That was my first experience seeing what Kona was all about. I watched all 4 back to back!
As a kid, with my dad, watching ABC’s Wide World of Sports and seeing Julie Moss struggle through the last mile and crawl across the finish. Left an impression and inspired my involvement in triathlon.
Can’t wait to watch this weekend with my daughter!
I am most moved by the story of Chris O’Donnell from last year who raced in honor of his daughter Grace (a victim of the Sandy Hook Elementary school shootings). A great reminder for all about the delicacy of life and the power of inspiration. Godspeed Chris.
In the German television in 1992 when Mark Allen won and Jürgen Zäck placed 5th.
Thanks for the giveaway, have a great weekend!
When I was a kid seeing clips of it on WWS thinking that it was absolutely “impossible” and then through the years seeing more and more people accomplish the “impossible”. And now at 41 thinking about turning my marathon training into tri training sometime in the next year or two and actually trying the “impossible”. How can one not be inspired by the shear variety of finishers and even those who don’t finish…
My greatest memory was watching the start a couple years ago and dreaming of being there one day. Thinking of the feeling you have right before you start a race.
Just midday tv surfing as a teen with no realization of what it takes to finish an IM let alone qualifying for KONA.
My first thoughts “I wish I can do that some day”.
My first memory is today on YouTube!!
womens finish 1997
First seen at tv 1981 in german “Sport Reportage”
on the interwebs, watching 1997, which saw the collapse of such great athletes such as Chris Leigh, Sian Welch, Wendy Ingraham collapse. Witnessing how far competitive ironman athletes push themselves, knowing that i have nowhere close to that level of willpower to push myself that far.
Watching the swim and wondering how do they swim almost 4 kilometers when I rather drown in a controlled way after the first kilometer.
My wife and I were just wed and coincidentally our honeymoon and the Kona Ironman coincided, I will never forget the sight of the heat rising from the asphalt along Queen Kahumaanu way and thinking, that perhaps one day I might have the mental and physical fortitude to attempt it…..awww hell who am I kidding these triathletes participating are beasts!
Just about every finish :-)
The 2013 race on TV a couple months ago. Hines Ward, Gordon Ramsey,…
My first Kona memory was watching Mark Allen and Dave Scott in 1989 racing start to finish on NBC.
I remember watching some highlight clips, probably WWS, of some of the early races. I could not understand how the human body could sustain the efforts I was watching. Then I saw the Julie Moss/Kathleen McCartney clip and was mesmerized by the drama of the effort, the pass, the victory – they both won! Then to see the two of them train and complete together 40 years later – awesome.
1995 with Mark Allen and Thomas Hellriegel. But mainly the women’s race where Paula Newby Fraser almost made it first to the finish line, collapsing with just a couple hundreds of meters to go and Karen Smyers with her “you think i can do the last mile under 5 minutes?!” Oh, what a race!
Just watched some video of it today and it looks awesome.
So I guess my memory is watching clips and being motivated to watch it for real tomorrow!!
Some time in the mid 90:s. Really impressed that athletes can push so hard in the heat.
Ironwar 1989 when Mark Allen was out-braining Dave Scott and putting down the hammer on the run. 8:09.15 for his WIN – Epic battle it was and watching it at least once a month since then.
(Btw, I used to live in Malta in Buggibba and Mellieha and St Paul’s Bay for a couple of years. I really enjoyed my times spent on the Island. )
Mine was about 5 yrs ago watching the highlights shown on NBC. I got more out of the people crossing the finishing line right before the the official end time and watching people helping those that were sitting on the side of the road.
Watching Crowie in 2011 after Macca and others stopped him from repeating the year before. He was on the hunt and hungrier than every
My best IM memory was the ironwar in 1989 between Dave Scott and Mark Allen
That the underpants run was actually a thing!
I’m new to the triathlon so last year was the first time I actually paid attention live. I was obsessed and was trying to catch it throughout the day. When NBC re-aired their version a month later, I watched it before going out for a 3 mile run. I was so inspired and pumped that I actually ran my fastest 5k in 2013.
Watching Tim DeBoom’s back-to-back wins in 2001 and 2002!
First time was in 2012, Crowie did an amazing performance there.
FR920.
Kona is a dream so nebulous that even my TV could never show me a single image.
The 2012 NBC recap. Just the shear purity of the effort.
Watching footage of the crowd cheering in the very last of the competitors.
Watching Natascha Badmann crush it with a smile.
My favorite memory hasn’t happened yet – it’ll be tomorrow, watching my college swim coach cross the finish line.
First time I heard of triathlon or Ironman was a rerun of the 1996 Ironman Kona which feature Jim Howley, an HIV positive man, and Team Hoytt. That documentary got me the bug and I’ve been hooked ever since!
I want the new Garmin, woa!
2012 recap. Overwhelmed by beauty and accomplishment.
My friend is a recent iron man finisher. He did Madison this year. He set a goal last year and deveped a training program based on his goal…….what an amazing achievement. He has introduced me into the world or Triathlon as well as Iron Man…….I watched The champs last year and it was incredible to see some of the pro finishers staying around and congratulating people who barley made the cut off. That was awe inspiring? Amazing to see.