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 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.
Tag Archives: Openwater
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend
The last weekend in February – already?!? I feel like February just started last week, and now somehow it’s basically over. In any case, here’s what I was up to as we split our time in both Paris and Barcelona. … Read More Here
A Week On A Small Australian Tropical Island
After leaving Adelaide we headed north to Sydney. We were only there about 72 hours, and I haven’t exactly written a post about it yet. Partially because the weather was generally shiest. And partially because I’m backlogged on everything. Either … Read More Here
Hands-on: The Marlin GPS Swimming Tracker
I mentioned yesterday in my Ibiza weekend post that I had used the Marlin GPS swim meter during one of my recent openwater swims. I figured I’d put together a short post to dive into a bit more detail on … Read More Here
How I capture photos while openwater swimming
(Both The Girl and I are incredibly sad about the attack that occurred in Nice last night. Bastille Day – La fête nationale- is our favorite day of the year here in France, and is incredibly special on so many … Read More Here
5 Random Things I Did This Weekend in Côte d’Azur
We just wrapped up an awesome few days with friends down on the other side of the country – here’s what we were up to! 1) Flew down to the French Riviera Getting a slight head start on the weekend, … Read More Here
A Week of Sunset Swims and Runs in South Africa
This week I was down in Roodepoort, South Africa for work stuffs. For the most part, I was basically inside a room from 8AM till dark. On a few of the nights though, I did manage to escape just at … Read More Here
Hands on with the IOLITE GPS-enabled swim goggles
A week or two ago a small company from Utah launched a new swim goggle on Kickstarter that’s aimed at openwater swimmers trying to swim straight. As anyone whose done an openwater swim will tell you that can sometimes be … Read More Here
Check it out! The exclusive DCR branded Safer Swimmer openwater swim buoy!
Remember last summer when I did a product review of the safer swimmer swim buoy? It’s the swim buoy that keeps you from getting run over by wandering boats while out on openwater swims. It also gives you a dry … Read More Here
The Safer Swimmer In-Depth Review
Back last month when I posted my ‘Saint Malo Fort Swimaround’ post, a number of folks asked about the swim buoy I was using to increase my visibility. It confused me at first, because I thought I had posted a … Read More Here
A really cold swim in Seattle
It should first and foremost be pointed out that I don’t particularly enjoy openwater swims where the temperature of the water is colder than that of an iced beverage. Yet somehow, I keep getting myself into these situations. Obviously the … Read More Here
The Swim It In-Depth Review
With the steady rise of deaths in the swim leg of triathlon, I’d been asked by a number of people about my thoughts around the Swim It. I even wrote a rather long op-ed post on it a while back. … Read More Here
Bora Bora Part II: Sharks, Rays (the Manta kind), Paddle Boarding…and lots of rain.
(If you’re just joining me, start back at the first part of the two-part series) While Bora Bora is certainly about sun and sand, we did spend a fair bit of time doing lots of non-beach chair items. Sometimes for … Read More Here
Bora Bora Part I: Getting here, sun, swim and run!
After our New Zealand trip it was time to head somewhere warm(er). And no better place to do that than Tahiti. Like the more familiar Hawaii, Tahiti is made up of a number of islands – though far more than … Read More Here
How I ran into a WWII tank on my swim
Alternate Title #1: The Americans invaded during my swim! Alternate Title #2: How I got tanked on my swim Alternate Title #3: Down Periscope Fail (Really, I could go on and on…) Of course, you’re probably wandering what I’m talking … Read More Here
The New Garmin Forerunner 310XT Openwater Swim Mode…In Depth.
Last week Garmin quietly introduced a new upgrade to the Garmin Forerunner 310XT watch that now enables an open water swim mode. This new feature aims to allow you to get accurate distance in the water while using the watch … Read More Here
2-Mile Swim Race & a bunch of other stuff
Saturday brought a whole bunch of tiresome activities. First, there was the waking up early thing. That in and of itself is tiring. 7:30AM? On a Saturday? It’s almost as if we’re training for an event or something. Need to … Read More Here
Weekly Mailbag – May 1st, 2010
Here’s this week’s edition of the weekly mailbag. This is a weekly series where I feature a handful of the e-mailed questions I received from the previous week or so. I try and pick a wide variety of questions. Some … Read More Here
Going for a very cold plunge
There used to be a annual polar bear swim right here in the beautiful and cough clean Potomac river, but from what I can tell, that seemed to have vanished. Instead, while doing some research last week I stumbled upon … Read More Here
The Almost Half-Iron
Just a quick training update (see, I can be quick on occasion). Yesterday I did a nice brick in the mountains, starting from Luray. Luray is a town in the shadow of Skyline drive, where I usually do my long … Read More Here
Swimming in the Potomac
I’ve been meaning to post this forever, mostly cause I have these totally awesome photos sitting in a folder. As some of you may know – you’re not allowed to swim in the Potomac river in the waters of the … Read More Here
One big ice cube – swimming in cold water
Many of us ‘retire’ from open water swimming for the winter. Some of us have the excuse that our dear little puddle of water is frozen over. And then there are those of us that simply turn off the thought … Read More Here
How to swim with your Garmin Forerunner GPS
After purchasing the Garmin Forerunner, I was determined to use it as much as possible to get the most out of my money. On an average day I have two training runs/rides/swims, and I use the GPS for every outdoor … Read More Here