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.
My next race will be next sunday: a 17Km non competitive run up and down the hills of my own city.
I’m going for a sprint triathlon in Bielefeld, Germany by the end of July, aiming to finish in 1:15 h or less.
My last race was Lodz Marathon in Central Poland on April 13. The route was really hilly (who’d have thought!) which is why I didn’t set a new personal best, but it still was a lot of fun and I was happy to run a marathon in my home town :)
My next planned race is Bremen Marathon and I hope to run it in 3:20
Kraków marathon – next Sunday (May 18) – the plan is to go below 3:45
I will run a HM in Oktober in Nürnberg.
My next planned race is my first marathon on 15th of June in Amersfoort (in the Netherlands), my objective is to complete the race, but i would like to finish in 3:30:00. according the statistics it should be possible.
Raced up Cradle Mountain, Tasmania – 60km/3500m. Aimed to put the pressure on and break fellow riders in a war of attrition up many of the smaller 10% climbs, including a 7.5km 9% avg climb. I chose this approach as I had not trained or checked out the route beforehand, I came in 4th, but aim to get into the top 3 next year.
Probably an open water 2k swim, early june.
10km race in Rheingönheim, Germany. It’s only a little one, but nevertheless I want to finish < 36:30min
Big next race would be Frankfurt Marathon on October, 26th. Goal: 2:53:xx
Christian
Next race is the Belgium champioenship – 1/4 duathlon.
I have 2 goals: the First one is do beter then last year and the second one is not be the last runner after the first run. :-)
Just ran first short race in a long time- trying to improve the speed at 48 yrs old. Twilight 5k in 18:28, Lewiston, Idaho- Snake River Canyon. Next up coeur d’ alene in under 18:00 baby…
Plan is to run the Westlink M7 Cities Marathon late July in Blacktown, NSW, Australia.
Anything under 4hours will be a bonus.
My next race is a 5km parkrun tomorrow morning (Lower Hutt, NZ), my first of these, will be nice to run for only 5km for a change. It might be my shortest run ever. I’ll aim for under 19mins.
Challenge Rimini – Half this Sunday!
renegade summer trail races at peters canyon june, july, and august. trying to be faster for each one and faster than the last time i did these races.
My next race is an annual 7k ran by my whole residence in the beginning of spring
Newport Marathon (Oregon) at the end of May. Just recovered from an injury so I simply want to finish the race safely.
Next race will be the Lisbon eco marathon, hoping for a sub 3:30
Training for Melbourne Marathon, VIC Australia. Aim is to go under 3:30. Thanks for the great website.
Brad
My next race is Skoda Madrid triathlon series. My goal is to drop time from last year event. Been training for this a lot!
Port Stephens (NSW, Australia) sprint distance triathlon on the 17th May. I’m aiming for a top 3 age group finish!
Hopefully the San Diego century may 31st. Recovering from a clavicle fracture and timing is tight…
My next race is Saterday the 10th, the ‘Bataverenrace” a relay (running) of 125k where I have to run a 10.5 en 9.5k. My first serious race is a half triathlon, the “Dutch Mountain triathlon” in Stein, June 22th.
Next up is probably a reasonably flat road half to set a decent time at. Not sure where yet.
Last time out was a very hilly trail 20 miler where I managed to knock 6 minutes off my PB.
This year I only have one Race as my target.
It’s a Race called Tour du Mont Blanc:
link to sportcommunication.info
The race is over 330 km with 8000m of climbing. My aim is to finish it in sub 14 Hours.
“II Piątka dla Bartka” Kielce, Poland, 25.05.2014 – run 5km as fast as I can :)
Berlin Marathon in September, sub 3:50h would be perfect!
Ogden Marathon next Saturday!!! Looking to finish first marathon ever and hopefully come in under 5 hours.
Honu 70.3, flying in from Sydney for it. Should be a great destination race and I am certain in not taking it too serious.
Tour d´les Ortles – 05/07/2014 :-)
Next race is the Spartan Super May 17th Austin Tx. My goal is to finish in under 2:30 running my first then another in June.
Wright Park 5k and Zombie Run. Goal is just to participate. I’m not much of a competitor but this seems like it may be up my alley.
Holualoa Firecracker Triathlon
Tucson, AZ
June 22, 2014
5:45am
My goal is to not be in the bottom 25%
Next up: Lavaredo Ultra Trail 119km in Cortina (Italy) on June 27-28. My goals are just to survive and finish :-)
Edinburgh Marathon, aiming for a pb and as close to 3.20 as I can get!
Next up for me is a hilly 10miler. Aim to run sub 7:00min mile pace.
My next race is on 25th May 2014, Starlight Ultra… hoping to complete the half marathon in 2:30 :)
Västeråscykeln on May 29. Local bike sportif, 130 km of nicecountry roads. I hope to have a pleasant ride and avoid mechanicals.
Gold Coast Half Marathon on 6th July. Looking to break 1:30 in the M55-59 bracket. Should put me near the pointy end. :)
Then Gold Coast Challenge in August
IM Boulder this August, goal is 16:59:59
Next race will be the Asics Stockholm Marathon on May 31st. Hope for a new PR, sub 3:48.
I’m planning on doing my first sprint triathlon next weekend! No specific goals other than learning the ropes and finishing, but I’m shooting for 1:15 if all goes well.
madrid->segovia mtb race on may 24th.
My next race will be an OD race in a city called Huizen, Netherlands. All in preparation for the Challenge-Almere event (70.3), in September this year. Almere is also the host of the National and European Championships for the full distance triathlon.
I’ve reduced my race schedule this year relative to last but the next one planned is a 7.5k night race in June with quite a bit of up and downs.
Ironman Austria, first Ironman for me. Finishing is the goal :D
My goal is to finish 10K in less than 50 minutes by October.
My next race is an local 5K in my hometown on june 22th, aiming for a sub 25min finnish.
Mont Blanc marathon june 29. I hope to finish <4:30
San Francisco Marathon in July, goal is <3:45!
My next big race is in July, The Knysna Forest Half Marathon in South Africa. I’m looking to do a sub 2:10, to shave a little over 5 minutes off my previous personal best of 2:15 (which I got just last week). Before then I’ll be doing a few shorter trail races as part of my training.
El Tour de Tucson, under 5:30 would be great!
Next start Warsaw, Poland, Accreo Ekiden – the goal – good fun !
So we will meet there and race againt each other :) UTC Aerospace team. Good luck!
70.3 Philippines on August 3. Aiming for sub 5:15.
A good 5k run, hoping to get passed by only a couple walkers.
Next race Eskisehir/Turkey NB Half Marathon on June 1st. Goal is to run under 1:40.
I’m running the Bristol 10k race on Sunday (11th of May), and the goal is to run it in under 40 min :)
Everyday race to getting better at running and biking =)
My next race is on sunday 11th. It’s a “mud day” race.
Just ahead I have the Kansas 70.3 and my hope is to qualify for Ironman 70.3 Worlds!
A quarter ironman (strange but true). A training event in a similar location to the Rotorua (New Zealand) Xterra event which is my main goal at the moment.
MTB marathon 1 stage May 17. Druskininkai, Lithuania. Amateurs division, goal came in first 200 :)
My next race will be this morning to catch the train to work (I’m late because I was reading your blog!).
Next real race will be the half marathon of Stuttgart, in June.
next race is a pool tri on saturday. my goal is to get there. have been sick all week with a gi bug and have hardly been eating. getting there will be a miracle. next chance is blue lake tri in june.
American Fork 5k on June 21st at American Fork, Utah. I plan to run it in 18:30.
5k Sunday morning. Goal is to finish without getting injured again
My last race was “wings for life world run”, very very beatiful charity race I suggest everybody
Start of offseason for us in NZ. Last race was Mission Bay Triathlon, part of the Panasonic Peoples Triathlon series. I set my PB for sprint distance triathlon, so a good end to the season and good reward for a fair amount of training.
Leiden Marathon next weekend. Aiming for 3:45
Last race before my injury: shortest tri ever, 1st overall.
Hässelbymilen 10km Stockholm, Sweden Oktober 12th, My goal is to run faster than 45min
Getting started with the iconic London to Brighton bike ride on 15th June 2014,The aim is to enjoy the ride, and plan for bigger and better.
Tri-Factor series (Swim)
Hope to complete the 1.5Km swim within 35mins.
Marcialonga Cycling, the 2nd leg of three, starting with the world famous Marcialonga Ski marathon (last January) and ending in September with Marcialonga Running.
A 70+135+25km. event; athletes completing all three legs are entitled to a better starting grid in one leg of choice.
My next race will be Göteborgsvarvet, on the 17:th of May (witch I finished on 2:13 in 2012), this year I aim for 2:00:00.
Hi Ray,
My next race will be the Victoria Falls Half Marathon, in the end of June, and I am expecting to finish somewhere below 1h39m.
Thanks & Regards,
PM.
First race is Shadow Creek Ranch Sprint. I’m excited to get back to tris after some time off after Ironman Texas last year.
Getting excited for Cauvery trail marathon in September as it will be my first trail marathon. It will also be my second marathon and the goal is to finish sub-4 hrs.
Edinburgh marathon on 25th May, a fast course, so hoping for a time significantly under 3 hours, but given a distinct lack of training, that is by no means a certainty!
Helsinki City Run half-marathon tomorrow (Saturday May 10th). My goal is to enjoy myself and cruise to a comfortable PB of 2:20.
Tomorrow the Bern Grand Prix, a hilly 10 mile run in Bern, Switzerland. Aiming for 1h20m.
Kungsholmen runt half marathon in Stockholm this saturday. Hope to go a bit below 1:30.
My next race will be Göteborgsvarvet, a half marathon in Gothenburg, Sweden. My goal is 1:50.
Royal Raid 35 km tomorrow morning : around 1500m incline (and even more decline), it may be tough one. Would like to finish under 4h30, wish me luck!
Training hard but unfortunately no races planned (yet) because I need to find new employment first! Last race was my first full distance at 2013 Vineman. My goal was 13 hours and I finished in 12:08 with gas left in the tank!
Ipf-Reis Half Marathon in Nördlingen Germany tomorrow May 10th. 1st half ever, so looking first to finish, and somewhere near 1:52. Thanks Ray!
Badische Meile (8,8889 km) in Karlsruhe (Germany) on May 11th. My goal is to improve my last year’s performance.
Xterra World Champ Trail Half-Marathon in Oahu in November. Trying for under 2 hrs.
Comrades Marathon #3 – running with a good mate who is doing his 10th…89km in one day, it’s going to hurt!
Last race I did was the Belgian Championship in Mechelen in 2012. And I was faster than our MP!
Looking forward to the Two Castles 10k here in Warwick/Kenilworth on Sun June 8th. Trying to get under 50 minutes!
Munich City run end of June. 10k in under 55′
Next race… Engadin Radmarathon, 211km road race with almost 4000m of climbs, in Switss/Italian Alps
My goal? not bonking this year while fisnishing in the top 40% of the field
Racing Hawaii 70.3 later this month. I’ve been swimming a lot more this season and would like to cut 8-10′ out of my swim. Yes this is how little I used to swim!
Planning on racing my first HIM in June (Chiemsee Tri in Germany). Merely a preparation for Challenge Kaiserwinkl 2 months later. Just want to get a feel for the distance so I’m trying not to look at the overall time. I’d be happy with about 200 watts on the bike and about a 1:40 HM after that. Let’s see how it goes.
OMM Mountain Bike Challenge Long Score Wild Camp – 6-7 September 2014
7hrs day 1 + 5hrs day 2
The Wild Camp is the extreme having to carry all equipment including tent and GPS for emergency only, no breadcrumb trails!!
My aim is to finish in time with body and machine intact and raise 2k for Army Benevolent Fund (British Army)
I had 20 mins a day in Afghan for internet, about 12 of them was spent ‘escaping’ in these pages (though my bank does’nt like it too much!!)
Green Challenge in Vilnius (Lithuania) next Saturday (May 17th) – trail triathlon event consisting of 500m swim, 14km bike and 5km run. My first triathlon event, so the main goal is to finish and do it with dignity. To overtake some other racers would be my second goal.
I’ll run the Brussels 20km next week as a preparation for my first marathon on the 21st of June. Since I’m training very hard lasts weeks and since I will have no special tapering or rest, I have no specific target. I hope to finish around 1h40.
The BUPA 10K here in London – hoping to break 45:00.