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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.
Would have been in 1991 or 1992. A video on the Internet in poor quality. But I have no idea who has won at that time. Is simply too long ago.
I’ve heard about Kona in this post for the first time in my life, but I would really like to win a 920xt :-)
Started with Triathlon myself only two years ago, so my best memory of course is watching fellow countryman Sebi Kienle dominating and winning the race yesteray.
Just seen on youtube, it would be nice to be there!!!
Must been at least 15 years ago on German television. As a kid I was fascinated by those futuristic bikes looking like boomerangs with wheels.
I’m firmly in the Julie Moss camp. I was 4/5 yrs old at the time but can remember my Dad who was a keen marathon runner summonsing me to the lounge where the footage was being shown on TV… I don’t recall the show but I like to think it was Grandstand and that the footage was followed by Housewives favorite Des Lynam smoothing the mustache and making some sort of throwaway ‘blimey’ or ‘she certainly went the distance’ type remark….
Very Exciting to see it on youtube, especially the start of the race!!!
I will never be able to do what those iron men do … will I?
Ufff Julie Moss? Team Hoyt? Stadler crying 2 flats!!? Not sure but enjoyed all of them
Thank you DC & Clever T. guys
Watching a Belgian winning for the first time in years last year.
Being astonished at the distances covered and the speed with which they are covered!
THESE PPL ARE INSANE. NYC MARATHON WINNERS ARENT RUNNING MUCH FASTER MARATHONS THAN THESE WINNERS. AND THEY ARENT DOING ALL THE MILES BEFORE…. PRETTY COOL
Sian Welch and Wendy Ingraham finish on youtube! Respect!
All of the participants are purely inspirational. I just watched Kona online and was beyond impressed. Mirinda Carfrae’s win overcoming a 14 minute deficit shows how anything can happen in this sport.
Watching with live tracking of individual athletes – always enjoy it when technology makes anything more entertaining
Mirinda Carfrae winning this year, now I understand what Kona is all about!
Watching the contestants swim – thought it was pretty cool with the surfers being around…
see McCormack winning in 2010, when I decided that I also wanted to be a iroman. In 2015, I hope to fulfill that desire
Watching during a recording of the coverage during one of my first bike trainer rides.
After getting into Triathlon with my brother in law and then watching coverage before I really new how Kona was the pinnacle and thinking “one day i’m going to do that” (Ironman, not Kona).
My 1st Kona I watched and followed was the 2012 one, when I started my own triathlon journey. Truly inspiring stuff!
I stumbled on the sports channel by accident. At first I was not sure what Kona was, then wondered what Ironman was. I soon found out that the people competing are both crazy & amazing! Well, since that day a few years ago I have aspired to complete my first full Ironman. I sure would love the 920xt to help me reach that goal!
Watched the kona 2014 live, great race
Watching the exploits of the Dave Scott and others on Wide World of Sport here in Australia in the eighties.
My Kona moment is seeing Alex Zanardi, who, without legs, managed stay behind the 10 hours…
Awesome
Watching Van Lierde win last year.
Julie Moss fighting till the end
It has to be watching the Hoyts. Seeing Dick Hoyts tow his son on a raft, tow him on the bike then push him in the chair all while trying to keep under the time cut-off made everyone else’s races easy in comparison.
Chrissie Wellington Flat in Kona 2008 … and her angry pass and awesome finish!!!
In Phil Maffetone’s Big Book of Endurance, Mark Allen wrote the foreword. After reading about his wins at Kona I looked on YouTube to “see who this Allen guy was!” Ironman isn’t my sport and watching the speed and endurance of these guys blew my mind – wow. Anyone who completes Kona is superhuman in my books.
Macca vs Crowie
There rivalry between 2007 & 2010 is one of the best in any sporting era.
In 2012 we took over the back of the bar to watch on their big tv after one of my friends qualified. We ate mad amounts of pizza (carbs, ya know) and admired another friend’s shoulder scarring from serious road rash. I have since done a sprint and a half and signed up for a full in 2015.
Got to be chrissie getting number four after coming back from that bike crash. Awesome.
watching Heinz Ward tough it out. (Sorry, really all I’ve ever watched ;)
dedication and drive to succeed
watching Crowie taking the course record
My brother in law completed Lanzarote in 2010 which got me interested in the triathalon scene having only been a runner previously. I watched Kona that year and have been hooked since. Those guys amaze me, and next year I shall be one of them!
Watching Fred Van Lierde win in 2013 on my Iphone running out of battery and just seeing him cross the line before the battery died while my girlfriend was sleeping and curious what I was watching that late (I live in Europe).
Well Julie Moss was first impact, but Ironwar opened up the view of two supermen going head to head. Fav race of all time
Can’t pinpoint to one individual event, but every one of Miranda Carfrae’s win where she just outruns the competition, who have no answer to it.
My first experience watching Kona was today!
A good friend of mine qualified a couple of months ago (at North American championships) for a spot at Kona.
So I followed him via the time tracking and watched the live video stream in the hope I would catch a glimpse of him.
All this at the same time as watching the most iconic motorsport race here in Australia – the Bathurst 1000 :-)
2011 Kona finish
Watching Marinda Carfrae running down Panini Dr to victory while I’m running up to head out to the energy labl
First intro to Kona (and triathlon in a way) was flipping through the channels and stumbling on NBC’s compilation show of that year’s race. Al Michaels narrating, amazing scenery, inspiring performances…been in love with triathlon ever since.
its the 920 any day. And unfortunately I haven’t watched any Kona, but will make amends should I win.
Watching it on abc wide world of sports when I was just a little kid and them a bit older watching the 1989 Ironman World Championship — in which Dave Scott and Mark Allen raced side by side for 139 miles and crossed the finish line just 58 seconds apart — is the stuff of legend in endurance sports. I thought these guys were all crazy, now I’m doing it too.
Watching Rinny run last year…and again this year. Crazy fast!
first time on 2013 when van lierde win
Watched Kona for the first time last year. It was amazing to see the intensity in the athletes faces. Everyone was so much into it…
I love all the inspirational age grouper stories.
I’ll get there one day!
First remember watching the television broadcasts in the mid-80s when I was about 10. Mesmerizing. Thought I could never do anything like that, and I believed it for almost 30 more years until I finally did my first tri a couple of years ago!
in 1989 watching Marc Allen beat out Dave Scott by a minute. Wow!
Wide World of Sports in the 80’s seemed super human then and still does.
of course Sian Welch and Wendy Ingraham crawl off 1997
As so many other it was Magnum PI.
Watching a channel 9 wide world of sports special on Greg Welch, amazing stuff
yah definitely back in the 80s on wide world of sports
Watching a live stream last year dreaming the dream. one day maybe.
My best and first memory of watching Kona are the same – saw some coverage of the event last year for the first time. Awesome stuff!!
The backstories of the competitors. Amazing!
My first experience watching kona was yesterday. My brother had it on for Thanksgiving dinner and wouldn’t relinquish the TV to watch hockey.
Tracking my soon-to-be girlfriend (and now wife!) through 12 hours at Kona. She did so well!
My friend hosts an all day ironman viewing party every year. We watch key parts of the live event, view the previous year’s highlight video, go on our own bike ride and run, and eat lots if good food. It is a blast!
Kona inspires me to be an ironman
Last years men swim cut off when a guy tried to make it, but failed for less than a minute.
The Scott v Allen battles were epic!
Luc Van Lierde 1996 – greatest performance ever
I remember the first time seeing Kona, I thought it was insane. I had no interest in trying an Ironman until one drunken night someone bet me.
$800 for the race entry, $750 for the airline tickets (wife had to go also), $2,100 for housing there and $4000 for a Shiv. When Mike Riley announced I was an Ironman, I won the bet and collect my prize the next night, a cold beer. As anyone knows the real prize is just knowing you can accomplish anything you set out to do.
Watching last years as the guy ran for his daughter, Grace. She was killed in the Sandy Hook shootings.
Just being in Kona in 2010 as a spectator was awesome
Like every year the running battle in energy lab !
Craig Alexander wining in 2008
Crissie 2009. I can see that race over and over again.
Somewhere in the nineties, when Luc van Lierde won the race.
Alex Zanardi former F1 car driver, now without his legs, arriving to the finish line with the speaker shouting “Alex Zanardi you are an IRON MAN !”
Unfortunately, the first clip I ever saw from Kona specifically (like many others above it seems) was the 1997 Welch/Ingraham finish, which was presented for mockery on a satirical news quiz. Both alarming in content and disrespectful to use it that way I thought. This was some years after the fact too. Luckily, I’d familiarised myself with the Ironman format before this was broadcast, and all my other exposures to the sport have been the qualifying events compressed into 30 minute episodes.
2005: Natascha Badmann on her CAT Cheetah. Too bad they no longer produce these bikes.
Mirinda Carfrae’s amazing run last year… and again this year!
Last year watching Miranda win :)
Watching ABC’s Wide World of Sports in 1982 as Hearst beat Moss and started to put the sport on the map.
Watching 2009 Kona program thinking that this triathlon thing is something I could try.
Sebastian Kienle and Jan Frodeno in 2014.
Watching it a week after I signed up for what would be my first tri — a 70.3 — and saying “oh crud what have I done?”
Julie Moss crawling to the finish
Watchin’ Leanda Caves and thinking it is impossible to reach what she had.
Watching highlights of Mark Allen and Dave Scott. Both inspired and horrified by the event and wondering if my body could ever handle it
Mark Allen of course!
2014 and the 2nd place for Daniely Ryf !! Hop Swiss !
I watched Kona 2012 race in internet,
First time “watching” in blog back in 2012.
Lying on the coach eating brownies and drinking beer…
Countless hours on the trainer, watching Kona as inspiration and motivation!
Not one particular moment to speak of but I love watching the inspirational videos of all the extraordinary people every year.
2007 Chrissie Wellington winning surprise to everyone…..
i remember watching in the 80s on the WIde Woeld of Sports recaps.
Watching in the 80’s, not really having a clue what it was all about!
Cyclist riding against the Kona wind.
Julie Moss fighting to finish
It must be 1997, where Chris Leigh collapsed just before the finishing line :-( Strong pictures!
Ironman party 2014, with my friends triathlon-helden.de
Kienle, du maschine!!!