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
- FYI: @Garmin releases Edge 810 firmware update. Minor tweaks/fixes: http://t.co/7JN03g2FDQ #, 6 hours ago
- @muzzkat Only when the situation calls for it. :) #, 8 hours ago
- @muzzkat Ignore eating and sleeping...but there some e-mail to some Parisian you were going to write. ;) #, 9 hours ago
- @obriensh You're awesome, thanks! #, 14 hours ago
- Anyone have any screen captures of the House Hunters Intl from last night showing @BertiesCupcakes in it? Will trade for cupcakes! #, 14 hours ago
- @jsank11 I would...and do. :) #, 14 hours ago
- @jsank11 Ability to easily remove for cleaning, the straw system near your aerobars, and actual cleaning. #, 15 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.
Race Day
How to kick butt in indoor triathlon races
This past weekend’s indoor triathlon race got me thinking about how indoor triathlons are in many ways very different tactically than outdoor triathlons. Sure, both have swim/bike/run objectives – but the way in which different indoor races are run forces … Read More Here
How to select your races for next year
It’s that time of the year where the triathlon events start to go on sale for next year, and also the time of year where you’ve got to pick and choose how to structure your season. In some ways, how … Read More Here
How to effectively pace and route your running race
It’s September. Which means that all (ok, probably just many) of you are preparing to run some sort of race. Perhaps you’ve already run a shorter race this season on the way to that goal. For me, my main race … Read More Here
Comparing Race Times, PR’s, and Others Results
A recent discussion with some friends around groups and training teams comparing race times got me thinking a bit about how most of us glance at race times we see on the Internet and make broad assumptions about one’s athletic … Read More Here
The Art of Pacing with a Garmin
One of the primary reasons you’d buy a training device like a Garmin Forerunner or similar would be to allow you to pace more effectively, whether that be in training or racing. While most folks understand that once you turn … Read More Here
Guest Post: How to take great triathlon photos
Note from Ray: Hi All! I’m venturing into my first guest poster on the blog. Bruce is not only the guy who takes all my awesome triathlon race pictures, but also flies The Girl and I around to races. Bruce … Read More Here
Race Day & Race Travel Checklists
Every time I travel to a race, my biggest worry is that I’m going to forget something. You know, something so tiny – but so important, such as a small-but-required part for my bike, or sometimes something even much bigger … Read More Here
Rainmaker rant: Race photo companies
If you read my blog often, you know that I have little love for the majority of race-day photo companies. These being the companies that are on the course during a race and take our photos, and then offer to … Read More Here
How to race tri’s with a Garmin Forerunner or Edge
While I have many posts on how to get the most from your Garmin Forerunner, it was pointed out to me recently that I don’t actually have any posts on how best to race with it. So this one will … Read More Here
My requests to race directors
Over the past couple of years, I’ve come up with a list of things that I like – and don’t like – about races. I’m going to keep it bulleted, just to simplify things. I’m hoping that at least one … Read More Here
Finalizing the list and checking it thirty billion times
It’s not even the end of the race year yet – and I’m already putting on the finishing touches for next year. One of the sucky things (actually, really the only sucky thing) about triathlons is how early the races … Read More Here
Are you in the lost and found bin?
We’ve all eagerly awaited for our race-day photos to appear on the photographing companies web site. Sometimes we get awesome shots, most times we get unflattering shots…and then sometimes we’re missing in action. You then ask yourself: How could they … Read More Here


















