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.
Race Report
Singapore Brooks Run Happy 9K Race Report
Back a few months ago when we first realized we’d be going to Singapore (actually, for all the cities we’d be visiting), I looked up the race calendar for this past weekend. Turns out, there were a number of races … Read More Here
2012 Escape from Alcatraz Race Report
There are just a handful of triathlon events out there that seem to make nearly every triathlete’s bucket list. This past winter when I heard of the opportunity to qualify for the Escape from Alcatraz event via a local yet … Read More Here
2012 Equinox Indoor Triathlon Race Report
As you’ve probably noticed – I’ve been super hesitant on publishing a race schedule this year. Not because I don’t want y’all to know where I’m racing – but rather simply because I don’t know where I’m racing much more … Read More Here
George Washington Birthday 10K 2012 Race Report
Every year ahead of Presidents Day weekend I get a little notice on my front door saying that there’s going to be a race that upcoming weekend and to be aware of the impact it might have to residents attempting … Read More Here
DC Hot Chocolate 15K 2011 Race Report (Alternate Title: How not to organize a race)
(I’m going to start this like any other race report…but fear not, I’ll get to my ‘suggestions’ section later on. It’s probably better to just sit back, and let it all unfold – rather than going straight into rant mode.) … Read More Here
2011 Philadelphia Marathon Race Report
My goals for the Philly Marathon were pretty clear from the start of this year: Break 2:50 In fact, I probably valued the Philly Marathon more than Boise 70.3 back in June. My previous Philly Marathon time stood at 2:54, … Read More Here
2011 DC Tri Race Report –3rd Overall!
Prior to the race, many folks asked how I thought the race might go – and my only answer was to sum it up simply as a ‘Hail Mary’ of sorts. The last week has been far from ideal as … Read More Here
Ironman Boise 70.3 2011 Race Report
You know, races are funny things. Sometimes they’re a test of physical strength, sometimes mental strength – and sometimes a combination of both (as well as usually a bit of luck). The other challenge with races is that the more … Read More Here
2011 Escape from Ft. Delaware Race Report
The Escape from Ft. Delaware is a bit different than most races from a logistics standpoint – but that made it absolutely perfect as a lead-up to my ‘A’ race – Boise 70.3 – here in about 3 weeks. See, … Read More Here
Rumpus in Bumpass Olympic Triathlon Race Report
When we arrived at the lake Friday evening to pickup our race packets, the weather was beautiful. You really couldn’t have asked for a nicer evening perched on the side of the water. Regrettably…the weather would not hold another dozen … Read More Here
National Half-Marathon Race (Pace) Report
You know what’s the nice part about a running race? You don’t have a massive pile of junk that you have to setup anywhere. It’s really rather simple actually. You’ve got shoes, shorts, top and a race chip. Perhaps you … Read More Here
Giant Acorn (Nut) 2010 Race Report
The Giant Acorn Triathlon (which I enjoy calling ‘The Giant Nut’ instead) is held about 90 minutes south of Washington DC at Lake Anna, the site of many other triathlons that I’ve done in the past – including the Rumpus … Read More Here
The Las Vegas Triathlon (not much of a) Race Report
If you were following my Tweets this past weekend, you know that things weren’t quite all rosy in Las Vegas for me. Shortly after wrapping up my week-long wandering of the Interbike floor, The Girl and I headed out for … Read More Here
Kirkland Triathlon 2010 Race Report
With the past week as busy as it was travel-wise, I really had no idea what exactly to expect when it came time actually throw-down at Saturday’s race. Luckily, the distance was a sprint – otherwise I suspect the week’s … Read More Here
St. John’s Newfoundland Triathlon Race Report
Sometimes…things go well, like really well. And sometimes, things don’t go so well, like rather badly. As for this race…well, the number three wasn’t just the number of sports I did today. But let’s start at the beginning. The beginning … Read More Here
The New York Triathlon 2010 Race Report
There are early race start times…and then there’s Nautica’s NYC Triathlon start times. How early you might ask? Well, 5:54AM. I don’t even think the birds are up that early. But…I was. Actually, I was up at 4:00AM. Luckily, I … Read More Here
Tidewater Triathlon 2010 Race Report
The Old Point Tidewater Triathlon is a semi-local triathlon a few hours south of Washington DC in the Virginia Beach area. We picked the race as a nice ‘in between’ race after Rev3 Knoxville in May and the NYC Triathlon … Read More Here
The ‘I got hit by a car during the race’ Rev 3 Knoxville Race Report
Given you’ve probably read the title of this post, you have a rough idea what happens at some point along the way in this story. That means you also think you know how this story ends, but just for fun … Read More Here
The Rumpass in Bumpass 2010 Race Report
If there was ever a race to do based on name alone, this would be it. I mean – really – how many races have the ASS word not once – but TWICE in name of the race? The RumpASS … Read More Here
Seattle Rainman Triathlon 2010 Race Report
If there were ever a triathlon to do, having one virtually named after oneself seems like the kinda event I’d want to start with. I heard about the Rainman Indoor Triathlon back a few months ago, and a bit later … Read More Here
St. Patrick’s 8K Race Report
Alternative Title I: Finally! Alternative Title II: Adventures of blurry cam! But more on the alternative titles in a bit. Let’s get to the start first. And getting to the start required the Metro. It’s just so much easier for … 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
Ironman Florida 2009 Race Report
My alarm started buzzing away at 4:30:00AM…and started hitting snooze at 4:30:03AM. After thinking through the situation for a bit more, I hit snooze another few times – taking me to about 5AM – when Lindsay called (I asked her … Read More Here
2009 Chesapeake Man Aqua-Velo Race Report
The Chesapeake Man Ultra Triathlon is essentially a Ironman Distance Triathlon, but because World Triathlon Corporation (WTC) owns the naming rights to “Ironman”, these non-M-Dot races (referring to the logo of the M with a dot) are usually called something … Read More Here
Nation’s Triathlon 2009 Race Report
As with most any race – the first order of business is packet pickup and usually some form of race briefing. Now, the Nation’s Triathlon also offers a swim practice on Saturday afternoon as well. So, we decided to knock … Read More Here