Heads up!!! Here’s your massive holiday sports tech deals list! This includes the Garmin Epix for just $419, the Apple AirTag 4-Pack for just $69, the GoPro Hero 12 Black for $249, (or the brand new Hero 13 or $299!) and plenty more! Go check out the full list of 100+ deals 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 2024 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.
Highlights of one of the newer editions on youtube. Sadly don’t remember what year exactly. But I recall it made want to go back into swimming after very long break.
I can remember watching Tim O’Donnell finish 2013 Kona championships. He put up a great fight and inspired me to push myself for my upcoming ultra marathon.
Macca vs Raelert – awesome!
First heard about ironman when I visited Hawaii when I was about 10 (many years ago :-)), and thought that it was a fairy tale that people really do these distances at once!
Highlights from 2013 on YouTube.
I can remember watching Tim O’ Donnell do an awesome job at the 2013 Kona Championships!
Watching Josef ajram videos, found some footage of him racing at kona ;)
The 2013 Kona Championships was my favorite one to watch. Tim O’ Donnell was the highlight for me.
Thanks for the chance — Team Hoyt for me too.
In 2012… interrupted by dinner (as I live in CET time)… in 2013 I did not follow it, but this year around I did… As much as I enjoy DOING triathlon watching it a bit too boring to keep me up beyond T2 + 10 minutes (0:15 of the sunday for CET!).
Julie Moss
I have VHS casettes from the 80’s and now streaming…
Watching last year when 3 of my friends participated and I nearly developed carpal tunnel syndrome from
refreshing their live results.
chrissy wellington
never forget watching 2 years ago from start to finish only to realise the time 8am and starting work the Sunday morning at 9.. Let’s just say the victory from Crowie kept me awake till the boss caught me watching live on my phone then told me to go home…. Best excuse to go home and watch the finish!!!!
A few years ago friend of mine showed me how some people even crawled to finish the race.
Watching Pete Jacobs win it a couple years ago while I was visiting my friends in Maui.
First time I saw it I was awed.
WOW
streaming the 2014 finish at a church event last night
Cameron Brown (Kiwi multi-sport legend) taking a painful looking silver back in 2001.
Watching it as a kid I was thinking samo day it would be me. Still dreaming. Real inspiration was first Croatian ironman, Marijan Pedisic
A couple years ago:boring to watch, but you keep watching.
Seeing Julie Moss crawl across the line still is the most inspiring IM moment.
I watched Kona 2013 and was inspired to start my own triathlon journey.
2011; third title of craig Alexander. Amazing his ride and his run
Julie Moss is awesome…
Most definitely the first time I saw it as a kid on Saturday morning TV with Transworld Sports
Following Eneko Llanos in 2008.
I also remember Julia Moss crossing the finish line, do not remember the year, but it was probably the first time I heard of Kona.
My first contact with Kona was today. First match on YouTube: Mirinda Carfrae passing Daniela Ryf.
Saw the NBC coverage when I was 7 or 8 and thought this had to be the craziest, most impossible to complete event ever created.
I Have never seen one in person, but the footage on both the Internet and TV doesn’t show how grueling it truly is…according to my friends that have participated.
Just watched my first bit of Kona on YouTube. Impressive.
It’s not so much having watched it, as having it described to me, in detail, by an old college friend who was visiting and had competed. He looked amazing, while i’d been rounding out. I thought he was completely mad. I could never see myself doing that.
And I still can’t.
Yet. But it’s less absurd than it once was.
fourth and fifth place were decided by a crawl to the finish
Sian Welch v Wendy Ingraham
this inspired me to never give up. Was amazing to see.
Watching Chrissie Wellington win in 2008.
Julie Moss crawling – wow!
norman statler too much glue
Greg Welch’s win in ’94. First win by an Aussie.
Pete Jacobs victory speech at the finish line in 2012. Awesome words just after finishing first
I watched clips on the web in 2000 when my brother-in-law was one of the race monitors (he lived there at the time).
Saw a youtube video comparing the run techniques of Chrissie Wellington, Sonja Tajsich and Cait Snow in Kona 2013
My first time to watch the Ironman was in 2005 when Madonna Buder became the oldest woman to complete the race. At 75 years old that was Amazing!
Watching Rinny run the entire field down after she was almost 15min behind off the bike.
The first time I heard of Kona was actually in a Gatorade commercial a few years back. Not into the drink, but it was a good ad.
I remember as a teenager watching on TV and thinking that it was craaaazy that people could even think of doing such distances, that’s probably what motivated me to finish one myself
Normann Stadler in 2005. That bee sting, with blood flowing! Before that I’d never think a bee can be so devastating.
2013, first time i watched tri.
Go ironman!
I must have been young watching with my dad. He said he would do it one day. Well he isn’t able to so I have started my journey.
Watching Macca and Raelert running side by side when Macca gave “the look” before he ran into the lead to win his second Ironman World Championship…. AWESOME!
Sister Madonna Buder 2005
Team Holt. Complete tear jerker.
Best memories watching the stream of the finish is the best. Old 80s wide world of sports clips aee the vague first memories.
Rick and Dick Hoyt final sprint. Unbelievably Inspiring to me.
Watching last year’s replay, thinking “they still have to run a marathon after all of that swimming and biking? Crazy!”
Seen clips before, but first watched coverage last year a few months after my first tri. I don’t want to do a full ironman, half is enough for me…but that made me want to go to Kona.
youtube of Julie Moss finish
Served as volunteer in 2009 and 2010. LIfe changer. Been trying to qualify/lottery, or just travel to be there ever since. All triathletes should experience being there at least once.
Chris (Macca) McCormack
I visited Kona whilst on my honeymoon in 2009. There I bought an Ironman T-shirt from the year before, which didn’t quite fit me as well as I first thought when I tried it on. This continued for a couple of years each time I decided to wear it, I often chose another instead. Then in late 2011 I decided to take up on a friend’s offer to go cycling and that continued to now weekly jaunts and regular commuting about 1-2 times a week. Hardly Ironman, but I’m much fitter, more active and my family benefits from this too. Oh and while faded now, the Ironman T-shirt fits great. :-)
I’m sure this has been posted a thousand times, but my memory is of the woman who crawled across the finish.
Chrissie Wellington coming off an injury. Its neat how someone so decent and warm in person is such as hammer out on the course.
Watching Team Hoyt and weeping on my sofa — I’d never do the swim, I told myself. 5 years later, I broke 10 hours in Madison.
Watched last years championships online. I’ve never been to Kona, or Hawaii in my life.
Kona, have never watched it wish I could be in one :)
Being in Kona in 2004, watching it from the road side. Amazing effort by all !
2013 competing and watching the final finishers at midnight…..incredible atmosphere.
Natasha Badmann smiling through the pain of IM. I knew then I wanted to do one.
My earliest memory is coming across it on Wide World of Sports while flipping through the channels one day. I was probably about 7 or 8 years old. I remember thinking that the people I was watching were super-human. Little did I know that 25 or so years later, I would be working towards become one of those super-humans.
Back in 2006 over youtube
Watching Julie Moss get to the finish line on youtube while training for my first tri. Amazing!
Maccas first win
All the Wellington wins!
Rinny’s 2014 run leg to capture her 3rd Ironman World Championship crown!!!
20101 while at work. It was an inspiring display to say the least, which prompted me to get training!
When I was around 11 or 12 watching on tv with my parents thinking…. why would anyone EVER want to do this??
First time was seeing nbc coverage as a kid. I remember thinking those guys (and gals) are nuts!
Having never been to Hawaii, my first impression was how clean the water is and how nice the swim must be.
First saw Sarah Reinertsen on a NBC athlete segment and was so inspired to cheer for her in IMKona & on The Amazing Race.
I remember watching it on Wide World of Sports when I was a kid sometime in the 90’s. I know Mark Allen won because I remember the hair. Also, I remember some video segment they did on him where he talked about having a vision of a Native American during the run segment of teh prvious years race which helped him pull through.
Iron wars on YouTube. Unbeatable inspiration!
I believe it was Sian Welch vs Wendy Ingraham in 1997. Made me promise myself to do Tris one day.
Watching Julie Moss finish
Watching Wellington. Mostly reading about the event on the interwebs.
My best moment(s) are watching the non-elites finish.
Sure the stars and favorites are also great, but the people that I think I can relate to, inspire me the most. To promote the thoughts that one day, I will complete a full Ironman.
watched 2011 and was impressed, my goal is to participate one day.
Inspired by Wide World of Sports in the ’80’s!
Wide World of Sports as a kid….I vaguely recall Bud Light being involved.
I was moved and motivated on the piece about the visual impaired women doing Kona. Inspirational
I always loved watching the Wide World of Sports in the late 80’s and early 90’s, I caught a few of the Kona races on there.
My first experience was last year when i got injured from my marathon. The Event inspire me to get back on the road and keep training
My only memory from watching this event was, “I can not believe what those people are doing!” Marathon was tough enough
Chris McCormack dropping out in 2004 and then getting his first win in 2007.
I was amazed watching Julie Moss fall, yet somehow finish.
Watching this past weekend was my first time.
Watching people run through the desert and wondering why.
My best memory is watching a friend cross the finish line and hearing Mike Reilly calling out his name and saying “You are an IRONMAN”!
Watching it on the couch with my husband.
Watched for the first time online last year. Seeing that last year was my first year doing triathlons (sprints) it was awesome and inspiring, going to start training for a full this coming year!
Watching Crowie win Kona in 2011 on TV while training for IM New York
The inspirational stories are always the best and I enjoy the profiles of the non-pros.