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
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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.
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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 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.
Days 9-10 – Welcome to the Maldives
After a short hop through Singapore (again), and then a longer four hour hop, we arrived at a very small slim parcel of land in the Indian ocean where the Male Airport sits. Of course, since I’m pretty sure only … Read More Here
Days 7 & 8: A Bali Triathlon
Welcome back to the final installment of the Bali portion of the trip. Over the past 5 or so days in Bali we’ve been able to patch together a bit of a Balinese Triathlon of sorts, combining two traditional triathlon … Read More Here
Days 4-6 – A prelude to a Bali Triathlon
After arriving on the island of Bali from Singapore, we sought out our pre-booked rental car place at the airport. However, despite booking with a major international car rental company via a major travel service (Travelocity), no car rental humans … Read More Here
Day 3 – The Singapore Sleepover
After a 6 hour flight from Beijing, China our Boeing 777 landed in Singapore, Singapore (the city with the same name as the country, sorta like New York, New York). By time we cleared immigration, customs and everything else it … Read More Here
Day 2 – (A very cold) Beijing and some really big wall
For reasons only the time zone gods can explain, after just 5ish hours of sleep, we were both wide awake and ready to go. As soon as the hotel’s breakfast place opened up we headed on down to check it … Read More Here
Day 1 – The Tokyo shuffle and beyond
The first flight, on the first day. Our trip started in Seattle just after noon where we jumped on a very empty United 777 headed nonstop to Tokyo. After departure we climbed out over Puget Sound under clear and sunny … Read More Here
Christmas in Seattle
We made the 2,306 mile aeronautic trek into my hometown of Seattle late Tuesday night (well, actually, my hometown in Edmonds…but those are just details). After a short weight at the baggage claim for our bags, we were off to … Read More Here
Snow and Stuff (or stuffed with snow)
The last two days have been pretty busy. Really busy. It was all about trying to fit in every possible last detail before heading out on a awesome series of trips. All while at the same time trying to fit … Read More Here
Wild West Virginia
This weekend was quite a whirlwind – and I’m not even talking about the 17” of snow we got.Friday afternoon I ran away from the DC area in a westerly and then southerly direction towards Snowshoe, WV. The commercials around … Read More Here
Friday Mail Call
I got all sorts of interesting things in the mail this week. Both physical mail, as well as e-mail. And I’m not just talking about the coupons either – we’re talking high quality stuff. First up was a little Christmas … Read More Here
Tidal Basin 3K Race Report: Things that hurt…a lot.
It seemed like a good idea yesterday. It did not seem like a good idea at mile 1. But first…let’s rewind to last year. Last December DC runner/blogger Peter was taunting me to show up at the monthly Tidal Basin … Read More Here
Garmin Edge 500 In Depth Review
When the Garmin Edge 500 was first announced earlier this fall at Interbike, the message around its purpose in life was clear: A full featured GPS based cycling computer that’s lean and mean, aimed at keeping a low profile … Read More Here
Jingle All the Way & Massive Cupcakes
This weekend was a hodgepodge of stuff. Because I’m super-swamped in getting the final touches on the Garmin 500 review out (currently standing at 38 pages…), I’m gonna keep this weekend recap post nice and short with lots of pictures. … Read More Here
Running in a Blizzard
It’s cold. Really really damn cold. It’s now Wednesday evening, and the weather has settled down a bit (though, not above 0*F). But, it wasn’t always that way. (Regan National airport in DC, as I left Sunday night…my little plane … Read More Here
Wet and Snowy Saturday, Muddy Buddy Sunday
Since the weather first shifted towards snow on Saturday, I was pretty jazzed. I like snow, lots of it. And even though the Washington DC has no useful hills (Read: Nothing to ski down or chairs to ride back up), … Read More Here
Friday Tidbits
As part of some upcoming work travel trips I’ve been filling out a crap-ton of visa applications for different countries. I have a list of some 31 countries, of which I’ll be visiting about a third of over the next … Read More Here
Two
A minor milestone passed back a few months ago that I forgot to note. Well, I didn’t exactly forget, it’s just that it was right after Ironman Canada and right before Nation’s Triathlon, so I didn’t quite squeeze it in … Read More Here
Sports Tracks in depth – ten little tidbits
Most of you folks know I love Sports Tracks – I think it’s hands down the best and most comprehensive sports activity management application out there today. (The above uses the Power Analysis Plug-in) Of course, making it better is … Read More Here
Running around
I’m starting (though semi-resisting) to get back into a rhythm. Albeit at the moment that may or may not include much time getting wet in the pool. But I do drive by it occasionally – that counts, right? Saturday morning … Read More Here
Turkey Turkey
As I had mentioned on Sunday, I started my Thanksgiving dinner preparations a bit earlier in the week, with pumpkin pie. But, those two pies didn’t exactly last very long around these parts – and certainly not until Thursday. So … Read More Here
Steaks, Mud and the Track
With training in ‘off-season’ mode for a few weeks, I find myself with plenty of extra time. I wandered to the pool early Friday evening and bumbled around a bit doing about 2,300 yards. Nothing significant, a few sets of … Read More Here
Isla Guadalupe Great White Shark Diving – Day 5
I woke up surprisingly late – around 9AM. Though, since we were just making the trek back to land, I wasn’t exactly missing much. Thankfully, the weather continued to hold up and made for an incredibly calm ride back – … Read More Here
Isla Guadalupe Great White Shark Diving – Day 4
Over the course of the night the boat moved a round a bit in an attempt to avoid some of the winds and swells that can make life on the boat uncomfortable. But, by time the sun rose we were … Read More Here
Isla Guadalupe Great White Shark Diving – Day 3
For some, the day started earlier than others. In an effort to get to a better shark diving spot after yesterday’s empty handed attempt, the boat pulled up anchor and started motoring north at 4:30AM. The film crew followed suit … Read More Here
Isla Guadalupe Great White Shark Diving – Day 2
Our day began with sunrise at sea, just after 6AM. We had been motoring east now for some 17 hours, making way towards Isla Guadalupe at a steady clip of about 10mph. However, while we slept, the ocean did not. … Read More Here