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.
1989 watching Dave scott and Mark Allen battle to the end.
link to youtube.com
Watching the unknown Chrissie Wellington score her first victory. Out of nowhere.
Watched with my wife last year… she kept insisting that she should have been there.
In 1994 when Greg Welch became the first Australian to win Kona. It was being televised and my dad called me into the lounge room to watch and it was during the run. I also remember seeing the softride bike thinking what the hell is that.
Watching Chrissie’s win and getting all exited!!
Watching highlights of 2010, thinking “I’m going to do that someday”.
Sebastian Kienle finishing second in 2013 and telling afterwords that even his hair was hurtig.
Watching Julie Moss gut it out in ’82.
The swim start chaos.
Sitting in my room in England watching 2013 Kona.
Best memory: Tim Deboom winning just a few weeks after 9/11.
I can just barely recall watching the IM broadcast on ABC wide world of sports and those old school, on screen cheesy graphics they used back in the day. Good times!
Julie Moss desperately trying to get to the finish line
wide world of sports…. Julie Moss crawl across finish line.
I think my first time paying attention to Kona was around 2001, I got very excited about triathlon after seeing Zeiger compete with her inhaler stuffed in her singlet. I had given up all 3 sports individually because of concerns about EIA so seeing her got me very interested (and eventually participating) in the sport.
Blazeman’s roll in 2005.
Back in 1985 when the athletes actually trained hard, they did’t use power meters and still rode faster than a lot of the racers today.
My first really strong memory comes from 2010, just after I moved from Scotland to New Zealand. The memory specifically is of the coverage including underwater shots of everyone treading water prior to the start. Totally made me well up. I’m not sure why, but I found it staggeringly inspiring and a fitting discovery at the start of a new life.
watching the swim start and wondering how people don’t freak out
Rinny flying on the run in 2013!
Finish was awesome
Greetings from Ireland .
Chris McDonnell 2013. The story of his and his family journey to Kona. Its very sad but extremely inspirational.
link to youtube.com
1994 – Greg Welch Aussie Aussie Aussie!!
blazemans roll
I remember watching it as kid and always wanting to do it. Being the weak swimmer I am, I felt for the people that didn’t make the cutoff out of the ocean seeing their disappointment and heartbreak. Full time running it is for me after that!
Still love watching though.
watching Wendy Ingraham crawling across the finish line in 1997, it was so amazing!
2010 watching in horror as people limped across the line just before midnight. I decided then to try it myself. Just finished my second ironman 2 weeks ago.
I was introduced to IRONMAN back in 1982 when the image of Julie Moss crawling to finish the race made IRONMAN known as a race of struggle and pain. More recently, in 2009 I got hooked! I watched a rerun of Chrissie Wellington’s second victory in Kona when I started a diet and after that I have not missed any of Kona’s races! I have probably watched 2008 championship more than 100 times while running on my treadmill or biking on my Computrainer. I love it!!!
The image of the runners in the twilight. Perseverance at its best.
I always like to see Natascha Badmann finish, she is always smiling!
Watching at home with my brother close to 20 years ago; thinking someone was going to be eaten by a shark.
I remember first seeing the IM world championship on tv in the 90’s and would think, “that’s impossible! I could never do that!” I’m proud to say that two weeks ago I completed my first Ironman at IM Chattanooga in just over 12 hours. I’m hooked!
Chrissy after her bike crash earlier that week and still crashed the field, looking forward to the woman’s field this year!!!
Watching Kona first time last year. It was great.
Three years ago i watched it on the Internet and was hooked! Love this sport!
Watching Chrissy Wellington chase down her competitors on the run even though she was hurt. It was amazing to see her not give up.
watching Chrissy win even with the road rash!
Call me unimaginative, but can anything seriously rival Julie Moss?
A vague recollection of watching an online video of some seriously fit looking people on the running league.
One name: MME HARIETTE ANDERSON…
2011 when Crowie won
KAILUA KONA , Hawaii 2013 – Pierre Lavoie never did anything halfway. He put the end to his athletic career at the prestigious Ironman event in the sport, in Kailua -Kona , finishing second in his age group , while eclipsing the world record of category . He is a model of determination where I live (Quebec). I remember watching him on TV, dreaming of being there.
Watching Crowie dominate them fools, again & again.
1980’s on the Wide World of Sports. I never dreamt that I would personally be training for an IM.
Julie Moss in her trucker hat crawling……..
Watching it on TV and seeing the human interest stories of all the athletes struggling to finish! Very Inspiring!!
Watching my boss/coach finish last years Ironman – he got in through the lottery & was first by any means, but it meant a lot because he was running/participating for his nephew with Leukemia!
Seeing Mirinda Carfrae win last year on livestream and she got mistaken as a British on the nameboard when she finished. But they changed it after a while
gotta be the Ironwar in 1989…what a great head to head battle between Mark and Dave!
My first Kona memories are in fact my first triathlon memories, watching Mark Allen battling it out with Dave Scott for the win in 1989. I was 11 at that time. But even 25 year later I’m still getting the chills when I see him pulling away with 2 miles to go.
Thanks to my parents and NBC I can’t remember a year I haven’t seen it. My parents loved the cinematography and I loved the stories of valor.
This will be my first year watching it. Last year I did my first Triathlon and now I am hooked! Someday maybe I will be competing at Kona! You never know!
Rinny owning the run at a 2:50:xx in 2013
My first memory was as a teenager and saying that will be me one day. Well I finished my first full at lake placid this year. I am an ironman!
Waiting all day to see my teammate on the web coverage – and then seeing her feature twice in the highlights!
I saw my first televised Kona two years ago, Peter Jacobs and Leanda Cave, make me dream that one day will be me!!! So help me God and my trainer!!! :)
Last year when I told myself that I would not watch the entire thing,I did
My husband recently found a rebroadcast of the 2013 Kona championship and saved it on the dvr for me. As a newbie triathlete, I was simply in awe of everyone. I have not been in a race with professional triathletes, so watching them was amazing, but it’s the everyman crossing the finish line many hours later that truly inspires me. I’d love to be able to do that some day.
I remember 7 years ago watching it with my wife and getting chills and saying to her, “i’m going to do one of those someday!” Then she said, “I know.” And I did.
Must have been Dave Scott and Mark Allen in late ’80’s/early ’90’s on NBC. Also, Julie Moss crawling – unforgettable!
watching Chrissie Wellington win her final Kona
Being a kid and watching these guys/gals suffering out there and wondering why? But now I wish to be them! HAHA!
When I first started doing tri’s a couple of years ago I binge-watched the NBC coverage. the first thing that pops into my head is the first Kona win of Chrissie. The first livestream I watched was of 2011 when Chrissie won for the last time. Sitting there all night with my brother was really fun, and a tradition we do every year now!
i remember watching on of the first on TV. I was a kid and was glued to it. Been hooked sinced
Julie Moss crawling towards the finish line on ABC Wide World of Sports
A video showing the last of runners in silhouette against the sunset. Beautiful!
Watching Chrissie Wellington win just a few weeks after a bad bike crash. I remember the scabs on her leg. It inspired me to take up triathlon.
Watching two women run and stumble and crawl across the finish line and wondering what the hell they were doing! Never imagined I’d have a dream of completing the same event one day!
Keeping my eye out on tv 3 years ago for friends who were racing
Hey Ray,
I remember 3 years ago my 7 year old daughter thought i was crazy for sitting in front of my computer for 8 hours. I told her it was the Super Bowl of triathlon…she still thought i was crazy.
Thanks Ray
‘Twas many many years ago on Wide World of Sports, with my dad.
visiting Kona for the first time in 1999 and seeing a friend of my friend finish 15th overall as an amateur. Go Tim Lewkinski. awe inspiring
Watching Craig Alexander a few years ago on the rollers, thinking about buying a tri bike to get into it… and now rewatching whilst training for a 70.3!
2012 on live streaming and thats was the year when i started doing triathlon!
Last year was really the first year I watched the coverage. The story of the man who lost his child in Newton was just awe inspiring. Made me want to sign up for my first IM (and I did for August 2015)!
Easy. Julie Moss 1982!
eatching “Rinny” win for the first time was amazing
The sun. That’s all I can say
Definitely watching Macca destroy the Ironman chasing down the competition.
Before I got fit…
Julie Moss, ’nuff said!
Actually, last year was the first time I watched the NBC presentation of it. I knew I was an addict when I started getting the pre-race jitters while watching them set up in transition.
Julie Moss… 1982
the loud speaker say, “—you are an Ironman
Watching Ironwar on tv when i was a teen-ager
About 3 years ag . Thought to my self these are a crazy bunch of peopl . I should give them s a crack… Three years later still trying to get the swimming right but grinding through it
Followed the great run of Raelert vs. Macca 2010 on a real lame web stream ;)…
My best memory is yet to occur…someday I will be in Kona and will watch the action live and in person.
watching and learning that the winners come back to the course to congratulate the last ones crossing the finish line. simply amazing
My first exposure to Kona/Ironman came via a short Youtube video of Dick & Rick Hoyt back in 2010. Totally moving and inspirational. Have not missed a broadcast since then.
I’ve never been in person but get pumped up to start training all winter whenever I get to watch on on TV.
I watched it last year and I knew that I had to start doing triathlons. I enjoied every single minute!
first saw Kona in person a couple of years ago great to see it s it happened. Got to run part of the marathon course before the race too.
Chrissie Wellington 2008, flat tire scenario
Watching Mark and Dave duke it out in the late 80s. Awesome!
My first memory is watching Julie Moss on TV with my Dad. He thought it was insane. I was amazed and still am.
First time I watched and wondered what an ironman was, now I know and follow.
the “crawl”…
I remember catching some action on youtube and then being transfixed on the whole thing for ages! Couldn’t get enough!
The story about Chris McDonnell. Ironman is not just about a goal, but realizing that dream for loved ones and how it can be a healing tool for such horrible things that happen in life. 2013 Ironman will be remembered as the race a dad promised his little girl he would get to and a promise he fulfilled.