I’m DC RAINMAKER…
I swim, bike and run. Then, I come here and write about my adventures. It’s as simple as that. Most of the time. If you’re new around these parts, here’s the long version of my story.

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UK based here! Canada! Germany! France! Spain! Italy!
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Ray Elsewhere
Did you know I write a weekly column over on Slowtwitch?
Check out my Product/Electronics posts in Ray’s Sports Electronics Mailbag - they are packed full of gadget goodness.
FAQ’s
I have built an extensive list of my most frequently asked questions. Below are the most popular.
- Will you test our product before release?
- Are you willing to review or test beta products?
- Which trainer should I buy?
- Which GPS watch should I buy?
- I’m headed to Paris – what do you recommend for training or sightseeing?
- I’m headed to Washington DC – what do you recommend for training?
- I’m from out of the country and will be visiting the US, what’s the best triathlon shop in city XYZ?
- What kind of camera do you use?
- What are your least favorite countries/places?
- What are you favorite countries/places?
Follow me on Twitter
- @dkhach You can share, though no separate user profile concept. But only thing impacted is calorie counts. #, 6 hours ago
- RT @paulbarny: Kansas 5150 had NO @usatriathlon official at the race. That's like having no referee at a football game. Amateur hour! @PROT… #, 9 hours ago
- @urtonbay I generally feel like getting in the post-run nutrition within the recommended 15 minutes has greater impact. #, 12 hours ago
- RT @fatcyclist: The danger of wearing a camelbak, no shirt, and no sunscreen. http://t.co/ktEJrkdfPh #, 12 hours ago
- @jgarpotter Yeah, shipping is flat-rate at $29, so just import taxes. Someone did the math in there in the comments I believe. #, 12 hours ago
- @urtonbay Yup, tried it. Absolutely miserable. In a good way though, but still miserable. :) #, 12 hours ago
- @richardelliot Yeah, good call. Seems very unlikely both would die at once. #, 14 hours ago
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5 Easy Steps To The Site
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.
Read My GPS Recommendations.
Here’s my most recent gadget recommendations guide (2012) – covering almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Looking for the equipment I use day to day? I also just put together my complete 2012 ‘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!
Understand technology and sport in the How-To Guides.
I enjoy explaining new things to folks – especially showing people how to get the most from their gadgets. Here’s an ongoing list of “How to” guides.
Read my Top 25 most useful posts.
It turns our I’ve written a fair bit of stuff over the past few years – and after it disappears from my front page, a lot of it never really sees the light of day again without Google’ing skillz. Or a photographic memory…which I don’t have. I’ve taken a look back and found stuff that…continues to find a trickle of readers via web searches or forum links.
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.
Monthly Archives: March 2009
Racing the line – understanding how courses are measured
Last week on one of my review posts, someone asked why their Garmin GPS showed a longer distance than the actual course distance of the National Marathon. Of course, there are two possible explanations, but likely only one is the … Read More Here
Random tidbits – I was featured on TrainingPeaks.com
Just in case some of you missed it (well, everyone but Bill)…I was featured on the front page of the Training Peaks website two weeks ago as part of their member profile series. The front page was then linked to … Read More Here
Training while travelling
After my trip to Spain, some folks asked me how I manage to find places to train while I’m travelling. Given how often I travel (for work or holiday), it’s pretty important to be able to stay on top of … 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
Packing your nuts
Tonight I handled a lot of peoples nuts. Thousands of them…and it was spectacular! Tonight Rob and I pitched in and helped with the National Marathon and Half Marathon setup. This is the same race we’re both running on Saturday … Read More Here
The Taper Week Ahead
Taper weeks are always fun. I get to turn up the speed dial a bit and due to the reduced training load – my body is recovering faster and thus going faster at the same HR zones. Which…after all, is … Read More Here
Readjusting
It wasn’t actually the time zone shift with the trip that hosed things up for me. But rather, the work hours in the week leading up to the trip, and then the work hours post trip. This gummy bear was … Read More Here
A little trip to Spain…and Africa.
Back a few months ago I got a great deal on airfare from DC to Spain ($127 round trip including all taxes). So on the eve of the Philadelphia Marathon, the girl and I booked tickets over for a 5 … Read More Here
Mama said there’d be days like this
Well no, actually, she didn’t. She didn’t mention anything about these days. This was definitely not on the talking points list anywhere in my childhood. After 4.5 hours of sleep after working past midnight, it was up at 5:50AM to … Read More Here
Chocolate Milk vs Endurox R4 Recovery Drink – Stimulus Edition
The other day I was chatting with a friend talking about recovery drinks. I’ve been on a chocolate milk kick for a while now – as I’ve previously gone in depth on. Given it’s been proven to be just as … Read More Here
244 Flippin’ Times
1) As I headed out this morning to run I had to make a game-time decision to not run my usual 20-miler. This made me a sad panda. Instead I bumbled to the pool and ended up doing 6,100 yards … Read More Here
















