Heads up! The big Garmin annual spring sale has started, with $200 off the Fenix 8 (first sale to date!), $100 off the Edge 1050, Forerunner 965 at $499, the Forerunner 265, the new Instinct 3, and countless other Garmin products including inReach Mini 2. Plus the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium is on sale, and some Suunto & Wahoo product deals too. Full list & thoughts here!
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
1
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.
2
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!
3
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.
4
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!
5
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.
Next race is the Hopkins Vineyard Sprint Tri on July 19th, goal is a sub 1:10 time, 5 min of last years time.
Last weekend I ran the Cincinnati Flying Pig half marathon and PRd at 2:28 – my next run is technically a 10k for prostate cancer awareness, but the next run I’m really gunning for is the Queen Bee half marathon in October. I’m hoping for a new PR and a fancy gadget wouldn’t hurt my training:)
Tomorrow, 10.5., road race and XCM at Nurmijärvi, Finland. Yep, two races in a row!
Next race is 2 weeks away (May 25), a duathlon in Oka, Canada. Fairly small local event. My goal is top 5, but I secretly plan to win it ;)
I plan to race the Toughman Indiana 70.3 on May 31st. My goal is to have a steady swim and bike and then run a 1:30 off the bike.
Whoops! The Sylvania Tri is my next race and the goal is sub 3 hours
Next planned race is AG Nationals in Milwaukee in August. Aiming for an olympic distance PR.
My next race is a small local sprint tri called the Norway Tri. I raced it in 2012 and had a blast even though it was 90 degrees and humid as it could be!
My next race is a 10K in France and since I’m not ine the best shape the goal is to get as close as possible to my PR.
The Hell Hath No Hurry 30k trail race is next on my list. My goal is to FINISH!
Sunday 12th May – FT London Sportive (105km) with a dash up the hill used on the London 2013 Olympic route. Looks like its going to rain all day!
Mont-tremblant Olympic June 8, first Olympic distance, hoping lower then 2:35.
My next planned race is the Minneapolis Marathon. I am signed up for the full marathon and this will be my first at that distance. My goal will be under 4 hours, but I just really hope to finish.
Local half marathon (KC, MO) , Early November, goal – sub 2:00.
The Tel Aviv Triathlon tomorrow, hoping for a good ag placing in the Olympic distance:)
Last race- the Carolina half. I always seem to read race reports with BUT… “It was the best race ever but I the swim, I was doing so well but dropped a chain,etc.” Well I had my own BUT-PR in my swim -PR in my bike- and I was feeling great on the run BUT I missed a turn around and ran 14.1miles:( -still had a great time and big lesson learned.
Old Dominion 100 Mile Endurance Run. My goal is a sub 24 hour finish for the belt buckle.
Love your gadget reviews and site!
My next race is at 22.5.14, it’s going to be a 10KM and the goal is to improve my 52 mins time.
Repeating the Brambleton VA sprint tri this summer and looking to break 1:06.
My first 1/4 distanceTriathlon this season, July 5th! Last year got into the sport with my first 1/8 distance race, now i’m hooked!
Hi Ray, My race will be my first triathlon race ever. It’s the 1/4 Triathlon Binnenmaas in the Netherlands (september 6th). Goal: 2.5 hours. In prepartion of Ironman Barcelona 2015 :)
Hi Ray,
Next race will be Challenge Weymouth Half 70.3 in se, on the south coast of the UK. Hoping to do well in AG but mainly to beat the friends that have entered too.
Thanks
My last race was April 5th. Three months before I was in the Hospital due to kidney stones. My weight decreased from 75 to 68kg and I was unable to run more than an hour. Three months later I finished my first HALF IRON MAN distance. ¿My first thinking when I crossed the line?. I’m able to do whatever I want in this life. Thanks.
Boulder 70.3- to beat last year’s time : 4:57
marathon de Lausanne
Kinetic Half distance. This weekend 5/10. Have fun and enjoy the hills.
Hey Ray,
My next race is a half marathon tomorrow in Stockholm. Just out of 4 weeks of illness my goal will be to just get a run in.
21:30 at the Firecracker 4 miler
Most road races are over in our area. Looking forward to doing some charity rides this summer.
My next race is actually tomorrow, called the Grand Defi de Victoriaville. Should be some fun stuff.
Ironman Boulder, Aug 2nd 2014!! Goal of the race is to finish under 13hrs and injury free.First ironman last was a bit of a disaster after getting injured during the race.
The City of Bath Sprint Triathlon on the 18th May 2014 is my next event. I want to do the run in less than 21 minutes and I want to complete the whole course in 1hr 15mins. fingers crossed
Next race is the “Run Under the Stars” 10-hour. It’s a 1/2 mile loop on a horse track in KY!
Ops, forgot to name them…
May 10th, Powerade Half-Marathon, (teams), Recife, Brazil
May 17th, Mars Night Run, Salvador, Brazil (this one is part of a Brazilian wide series)
May 25th, Pague Menos (or Pay Less) Drugstore Run Series, Recife, Brazil
June 1st, Season´s Run Series, Winter, Recife, Brazil (also a Brazilian wide series)
All of them on the 10 km bracket
Next big one is the Prudential RideLondon 100 miler on 10 August; main goal is to not die!
Tely10… 90 mins
No races planned for this year, but I did finish the Paris Roubaix challenge a few weeks ago
Versailles triathlon on May 25th. Had a hard time signing up (it’s been complete for a while, they just opened up some places this week which were all taken up in 15 min, and I just managed to squeeze in). Preparation is below zero (I’ve done 20 km on the bike in the last year!) so the only target is to finish!
My plan is to run the Dolni Morava 30k trail running race, would be nice to finish it in under 3 hours :)
Next race is Battle of the Border (BOTB), awesome 3 days of hard racing coming up next weekend.
70.3 Raleigh with my wife in a couple of weeks. Goal : Try to not let her beat me (again).
my last race is in sealine desert MTB a few week back run across sand dune here in middle east , the last race before the summer come, it was very hot and sandy
Rock N Roll Chicago Half M on July 20th. Hoping for 1:45 there!
Grand Rapids Mi Sprint Tri June 8th. Hope to be under 1:25,- Clydesdale
My first Triathlon will be June 14 at Welland, Ontario with a sprint tri (.75km-30km-7.5km). Since it’s my first, my goal is just to finish proud of my effort.
Just completed my first half marathon in Toronto in 1:43…aiming for a sub 11 hour Ironman at Ironman Mont Tremblant on August 17 2014
Leon’s tri in Hammond, Indiana June 1st is my next race. Using it as a prep for IMWI in September.
I finished my 2nd marathon in 3:32 last sunday and gained 40min compared to last year. Next goal is the olympic distance at ITU World Triathlon Hamburg in July – hopefully lower 3 hours in my 1st triathlon :)
Maple Grove (MN, US) 1/2 marathon on Saturday. 1st race of the year…sub 1:55 would be good.
10k in july, hope to beat 55m :)
Hi Ray,
Racing on Sunday morning in North Hatley, Québec. A 5k called “Le Défi de la Fête des Mères” which translates to Mothers Day Challenge. Hope to make it under 27min (I know it’s a snails pace for you !)
Thanks for the blog and givaways ….
I am racing this weekend at the tri for humanities sprint in elm Texas. It is the state championship. I hope to place in my age group. This is my 28th year of racing tris
My next race is my first half-marathon, the Minneapolis Half-Marathon on June 1st. My goal is just to finish and have a good time!
Good luck to everyone in their upcoming races!
-Bill
10k on May 18. Donosti, Spain. Excited to run in my hometown as I have to cross the atlantic to do it
My next race is ”The Most Beautiful Thing (Trail)” ultra-marathon (100KM) in the beautiful Sabah, Malaysia mountain ranges, my goal is to meet as many of the locals as possible and to improve my last year”s time of 27hours to 24hours or less. Cheers!
Hi Ray,
Great idea as always!
Next is a hilly 50k trail run in about a month. Goal is to have a great time, and get some pics on the way with my new camera gadget from this giveaway.
Well my last race was the Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon. I had a rough day and finished about 40 minutes after my projected time. (3:43) My next races are some small triathlons leading up to Muncie 70.3 in July. I am shooting for sub 6 hours for my first half Ironman.
I completed the 3 Peaks challenge at falls creek, Australia in March. It’s not a race, but it has to be the toughest one day sportive in Australia. Was really happy with how I went. Nailed my training and nutrition. Will sign up again next year and try for under 11hours.
Summerfest Rock n Sole half marathon in Milwaukee. Hoping for PR of sub 1:30. We’ll see.
Raleigh 70.3 on June 1. Goal is to finish with an empty tank.
My next race is leg 16 of the Welsh Castles Relay. It should have been a sprint tri next week but illness has scuppered that.
Next race, ironman Raleigh on 6/1, target race ironman Louisville on 8/24, A race 2014 is JFK 50 miler on 11/22
Last race I did was the Marine Corps Marathon. My IT band flared up at mile 18 and I ended up walking the rest. So much for that PR!
My next planned race is the Space Coast Marathon in Cocoa, FL on November 30. My goal is to hit low 3:20s or better; it’s a benchmark race to see how feasible it is for me to BQ within another season or so.
I just completed the Cincinnati Flying Pig Half. This was my 3rd half marathon. My 4th will be Air Force half in the fall!
My most recent race was the Rev3 Adventure Epic Shenandoah 26 hr Adventure Race back in your stomping grounds. Unfortunately, I didn’t finish, but I did cover 43 miles in 15 1/2 hours
Next race is Fargo Marathon on May 10. Goal is under 4 hours.
5/31 kona 1/2 ironman. First tri isince 1985. Just want to finish without walking the whole run.
My next race is tomorrow! It’s called Fly By Night. It’s a run-bike-run-bike-run event. It’s my first time trying this race, so I guess my initial goal is complete it! A secondary goal is to complete all of the run portions while holding my HR in the correct zone and for the bike, to be able to get into my shoes (already mounted on the pedals), instead of clipping in-a new skill I recently learned! :) Thanks for the giveaway!
Race: Kettle Moraine 100 Goal: Survive with out hurting myself. Best Case Scenario: Under 24hrs.
My next race is the Chicago Spring Half Marathon on May 18th and after that the Soldier Field 10 mile race on May 24 th , also in Chicago. My goal is to finish both a little faster than last year’s times, but regardless of time my goal is to keep active and to have fun.
Ironman Texas, 5/17 :)
Next race is KCCC 1/2 marathon on 5/17…. get my PR down to 1:35
Mackay Open this weekend. $3000 prize money up for grabs so obviously the goal is to win!
My next race is the ITU Chicago olympicdDistance triathlon. It will be my first olympic distance race. My goal is to finish but a sub-3:00 time wouldn’t be bad.
My last race was the Tolero crit on April 5 … unfortunately, I didn’t finish it as I crashed and broke my femur and collarbone! My next race is the Arizona State TT championships in September … hope I have some new gear by then!!
Next scheduled race is the wakely dam ultra. Just want to finish.
Mizuno Half Marathon September 28th, Salvador-Ba Brazil. Goal 2:30.
Helsinki City Run half marathon tomorrow in 1h19min.
Zurich triathlon on July 26th – goal is to beat last years time
Not a race but a sportive, 100km 7th June, UK. My first attempt at a distance ride, hopefully in under 5hrs. Yes i am that slow
Portland Century, August 16, 2014, I plan on doing my first Century ride. Last year, I did a 77 mile Fondo that a went great. Definitely plan on doing some more this year, but that is my target.
only biking — Knees went bad. Bike event is Spring Metric in Bloomington Il. Middle of June.
Just took first in my AG and seventh overall at the Florida International Tri sprint distance. Aiming for repeat again at the Longboat Key Tri next week
Not a race but an event: 150 mile Bike MS Cape Cod with the goal to raise $2000 for the National MS Society. Supporting my wife and others who live with MS.
My next race is tomorrow. The river bank run 25k in Grand Rapids, mi. I haven’t done this one before, nor have I done this distance before so it will be an automatic PR. I’m hoping to do it in 2:30. Happy running!
Indian creek sprint, I’m hoping for a 2:15 or better.
Have no races planned… :( But I did the Hoosier Half-Marathon in Bloomington, Indiana on April 5, in 1:34. Couldn’t have asked for a nicer day to run, and I had a blast.
Bridgeman Duathlon on June 8 in Gretna (New Orleans LA). Hope to place in my age group.
Helsinki City Run on tommorrow may 10th with hopes to run it sub 1:35
My next race is the Challenge Rimini in ITALY (70.3 distance). It’s this coming Sunday!!! My target is anything below 6 hours. Ciao and thanks for your work.
Mt. Washington hill climb, mid-August. First timer at 50yo, so just making it up is cause for celebratation, but my goal is to go under 90 minutes.
Next week, after a year of running injuries, my first 1/8th tri!
Very exiting!
On a very tight budget, so I don’t have any planned races for the rest of 2014…but probably will do a charity ride or two. My son, daughter, and I will do a July night-time ride for our local Habitat for Humanity chapter. We won a free entry by winning our age categories in a local 5K/10K race. (Light turnout helped, and in my case, almost everybody in the next older age group beat me…)
Planning a sprint triathlon on Father’s Day my plan is just to race speedy and maybe got a top 10 age group slot.
Kinetic Sprint Tri this Sunday…have fun!
August 2014 my daughter and I will do the Iowa Pigman, 1/2 ironman length. My dream is to have a great time with my daughter, and to not die.
Ironman Maryland September 20. Coming off an injury, hoping to finish in the 15 hour mark
“Carreira das praias” in San Cosme de Barreiros (Galicia). My goal is to finish it!
The run like hell half… And as always I’m shooting for a sub-2:00 race.