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
Ironman Canada 2009 Race Report
The morning started much like any other race morning. I managed to get about 6-7 hours of sleep, which was a pretty good amount considering everything. So when the alarms went off I was pretty much ready to go. However, … Read More Here
Ironman Rhode Island 70.3 – 2009 Race Report
The Ironman Rhode Island 70.3 course is a bit different than most triathlon courses out there, primarily due to its point to point nature. This means that instead of starting and ending in roughly the same place, you actually start … Read More Here
2009 Washington DC Dextro Energy Triathlon ITU World Championship Race Report
The first order of business in any triathlon is packet pickup, which I accomplished the day before downtown at the Hyatt. It as pretty cool seeing a number of the pro’s hanging out in the lobby, preparing for their race … Read More Here
Reston 2-Mile Race Report…and some BBQ!
Sunday morning brought a flurry of activity. First up, was injecting my pork ass with a secret sauce (see previous day). Well, technically it’s not too secret, especially since I’m re-publishing it here. But that said, but injecting the pork … Read More Here
Kinetic 2009 Sprint Tri Race Report
As far as race days go for triathlons, you couldn’t ask for a better day. Despite enough rain lately to consider building an ark, the sun decided to shine for just one day (in the middle of a 10-15 day … Read More Here
The 2009 Boston Marathon Race Report
Despite the fact that the Boston Marathon starts at a rather comfy 10:00AM, I was up at a rather un-comfy 4:45AM in order to get to the buses on time. Buses you ask? Well, the Boston Marathon is a point … Read More Here
Escape from Ft. Desoto Tri Race Report…btw…1st in AG.
Some races you just have a good feeling about, while others you don’t. Back a few weeks ago I had a ‘less than ideal’ feeling about the National Half-Marathon. But this past week, I was feeling pretty good going into … Read More Here
Accidentally placing – Yorktown Victory Run 8 Mile Race Report
I drove down last night to the Virginia Beach area to run with a friend in a local 8-miler race. However, I wasn’t racing, but rather just doing it as part of a training run (about 11 miles total). So … Read More Here
Ya win some, ya lose some: National Half Marathon
I knew on Tuesday things were going to be rough. My HR’s were way higher than normal – both on and off the track. I was hoping I might slide by with enough recovery such that by Saturday things would … Read More Here
Running like a skirt
Yesterday was the Celtic Solstice 5-Miler held in Baltimore. A small group of us went up the night before and had a big ol’ slumber party. Well, as exciting a slumber party can be when you’re a bunch of runners … Read More Here
Tidal Basin 3K Race Report (oh…I kinda won)
It’s been about a year. A year since Peter first started poking me about coming out and running the Tidal Basin 3K monthly race. But earlier this week I poked him back and asked him if he was going to … Read More Here
Jingle Bell 10K Race Report – Umm..that hurt.
This past Sunday represented the last race of the year. Well, the last race I’d ‘race’ anyway. I still got some goodness coming up this weekend, but that’s just for fun. You say all races are fun? Umm…no…not all. Sure…before, … Read More Here
Philadelphia Marathon 2008 Race Report
There’s really no better place to eat your night-before-the-race-dinner than a restaurant named the ‘Marathon Grill’. With that, begins my (hopefully quick but turned out not so quick) 2008 Philly Marathon Race report. Since the race was kinda a blur … Read More Here
A 10K, a marathon and wilderness in between
Let’s try and keep this weekend recap quick. On Friday night myself and two friends drove down to Charlottesville, VA to run in a 10K race there (Bad to the Bone 10K aka Charlottesville Fall Classic). (I’m in the lower … Read More Here
The Army 20-Miler Race Report and Weekend Update
I had originally planned earlier this year to use the Army 10 Miler Race to try and go sub-60 minutes. But after my coach and I developed a plan for the year which included going solidly below 3:00 for the … Read More Here
Failboat, now arriving
Within the small circle of friends that I run with on a regular basis we often joke about committing a ‘fail’ – as epitomized on the fail blog via the Failboat. While I personally manage many fails on a daily … Read More Here
Nations Triathlon 2008 Race Report
You may already know the resultant, but let’s talk through how it all went down. Pre-Race: I was a bit concerned with logistics race morning as a TON of streets were closed and since our bikes were already checked in … Read More Here
Ironman Canada 2008 – The day after
Ok, final post in what will have been a week’s worth of IMC2008 related stuffola. And then you’re IMC free until next year. For fun I wanted to do a quick recap to cover all of the the things you … Read More Here
Ironman Canada 2008 Race Report
(My brother in the 5AM hour writing in chalk on the run course) Before I get started, in case ya missed it, here’s the days leading up to Ironman Canada, covering all of the pre-race action: Day 1, Day 2, … Read More Here
Ironman Canada 2008 – Day 3
The peach. This is where it all begins, and all ends. Four times to be precise. You leave the beach behind the peach above on the swim and you see it again during T1. You go out for a casual … Read More Here
Ironman Canada 2008 – Day 2
This is my second day up here, after arriving yesterday. As I mentioned yesterday – my goal is to streamline these posts, so I’ll try and keep it word-short, but mostly pictures. I’ll post again tomorrow for the last time … Read More Here
Ironman Canada 2008 – Day 1
Well, after two days of travel – I have succeeded in arriving at the site of Ironman Canada. In an effort to streamline this, I’ll try and keep it word-short, but mostly pictures. My plan is to post each of … Read More Here
Rhode Island Ironman 70.3 Race Report
The entire race can basically be summed up in the following: “Holy CRAP did I just bike that fast?”. But, since I’m not summing it up in just one short phrase – you get the full race report. Logistics: The … Read More Here
2008 Philly Triathlon Race Report
It will be my attempt to keep this somewhat short. However, usually I fail in that endeavor. Actually, it will be more photogenic than usual, with less text.Saturday:A good friend offered to both take photos…and fly me up to Philly … Read More Here
Wildflower Race Report: Where art thou…?
Wildflower has a bit of a reputation, both on the course and off. Off the course it’s known as the ‘woodstock’ of triathlon. And on the course it’s known for dishing out the pain.The long course has its renowned huge … Read More Here