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.
In 15 days i’ll run the “Course de la Rhubarbe” ( link to coursedelarhubarbe.fr ) and try to stay under 40′ :)
The ultimate goal this year is probably the 155 km bike race “Cyclassics” in Hamburg (Germany) for which I’ll need to be able to average at least 31 km/h to participate – let’s see if I can do this!
Hi Ray,
next is the first race race of the winter duathlon series in Adelaide, South Australia. I would like to finish top 3 in my AG
Just finish the Vattenfall Cyclassics in August! To pass all the timecontrols you have to keep a 31 km hour average for 160 km with some (small) climbs, challenging enough for me!
The Ketelwald Trail on the Dutch – German border, 18 may. 32 kms of happy trails, I hope. As with most trails, finishing times do not matter that much, it’s all about the experience :-)
The next will be the Pan Mass 14. Great chance for a fundraise and bike from Sturbridge to RI.
Wings for Life – Italy, 15km in 1:30:00
StraVerona in two weeks… I hope 21 km in 1:57:00.
Next race will be the most important race of my life: I will get married June 7th with my girlfriend Marielle.
Standard Chartered KL Marathon in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (12 Oct 2014). Running HM, aiming for sub 2.5hrs.
Local orienteering sprint race tomorrow. I just wanna be faster than my friend R.G…
Completed the Challenge Roth last year. First time “long distance”….still proud :-)
The biggest challenge will be a sort of “race” to … Mont Blanc in June. The goal is just to reach the top as quick as possible ;-)
I am heading for my first ever Marathon race. The classic Marathon here in Greece. My goal is just to finish and hopefully I will run all the way :). The date 09/11/2014.
This weekend race in Brugge, 14.5 kilometres, hope to be near the hour.
Some pretty amazing stuff being posted here.
Mine is a more modest attempt to run 65K on my 65th Birthday later this month.
Trail Peñalara 60 k on 6/29 (60 kms, 2750 meters of elevation gain). The goal is enjoy, but if i finish around the ten hours I´ll be very happy ;)
Next race a charity company run in Düsseldorf (Germany) – 6k (2014-06-05) – Goal is PB, as always.
15/6 Retie Belgium Olympic Tri… season starter to finish before my younger brother ;-)
Munich City Triathlon – link to stadt-triathlon.de – sprint triathlon in the ’72 Olympic Arena – no specific goal, just a brick training on my way to IM 70.3. Ruegen later this year.
Grenserittet – XC mountainbike race on the boarder between Sweden and Norway on 2 August. Goal is sub 4th!
1 june, IM 70.3 Pescara (Italy), my firts one.
Try to finish under 5:30
17.05.2014 running 1 mile called “Palivere miil” in Palivere, Läänemaa, Estonia.
Goal is to run as fast as I can :)
The Heartland Triathlon in Sebring, FL Father’s day weekend. Olympic distance. Hoping to finish in 2:55.
7.5K this Sunday, local run in Athens, coming after a semi-marathon and knowing that this route is full of uphill/downhill sections I would say the goal is to simply run all of it…
First race will be Trail d’Esneux on 18/5. Was going for 30k, but unable to train because of injuries I will run the 15k. Aim is finishing strong without injuries.
Next up will be a 20k obstacle course end of june.
last week my 2nd marathon: link to haspa-marathon-hamburg.de
too fast on the first 25km, which cost me dearly – at least I finished unter 4hrs at 3:56:18
next bigger race (apart from smaller local races here in Hamburg)
hella half marathon in Hamburg, Germany, on 29.06.2014
link to hella-halbmarathon.de
my last HM was 1:40:12 – I´m training for a 1:35:00
Any 5k race I can find while traveling in Ireland or Amsterdam in the next couple weeks.
Noosa tri at the end of last year. i raced so badly that i was slower than my older, heavier non training brother who had raced with me the previous year. needless to say not impressed with my performance.
Next up..IM France..7 weeks and counting….goal is to race as well as I can ….if the time starts with a 10 then it’s been an unbelievable day and all has gone well…11 and still ok…12 and it’s been a tough day at the office !!
Marseille – Cassis 20km, end of october
Hoping to finish in less than 2 hours
MTB marathon at the end of may, aim is to finish in first half of the field
My first full marathon this Sunday in Vise/Maastricht, goal is to finish in 3:30
Subaru Olympic Triathlon in Vancouver BC July 13th. Goal is to improve my bike leg which currently stinks and hopefully have a personal best. But most important goal is to keep having fun!
I’ll be doing a 70.3 race in June in Kaposvar, Hungary. Would like to hit 5.30 on a really hilly course.
My last race was a real schmozzle: dropped in the major climb in stage 1, followed by withdrawal due to sickness for stage 2 (no doubt this was contributing to my weak effort the day before). Big disappointment; it also happened to be the last race I was aiming to do for some time, and will probably not race now until late Spring (Aussie season)!
Bettmeralp half marathon, june 29th. Half marathon high up in the mountains! I’m looking forward to it.
My next – BIG – race will be the Half-Marathon of Amsterdam Ocotober 19th. I’am aiming for a time below 2:00hrs. It will be my first Half-Marathon.
My last race was the Cape Argus. The largest timed cycle race in the world! Should be on every athletes bucket list. The race was hot, with temps around 40C going up the famous Chapmans Peak.
Completed first sprint tri in March, came third in aged group category
Date: May, 18th,
Distance: My first ever half iron man.
Location: Calella, Barcelona (yes, it’s IM Barcelona 70.3)
Just want to cross the finish line. If it’s in less than 6 hours, I will get drunk to celebrate it; if not, I will celebrate it anyway XD
Last planned race was just last week, Rotorua Marathon, which didn’t go well for me. Never even made it to the start after a mountain biking mishap that left me with a smashed up side (torn rib cartilage isn’t more than a little tender at most times!). Lots of recovery time as it’s headed into winter here.
Salut Rain :)
Comme toi je suis un anglophone en France, I’m a student in Toulouse and I’m still waiting to find my apprenticeship for next year before I can decide which race I’m going to participate in. I would really like to run the Brighton Marathon, its local to where I used to live in England and I would want to run for an animal rescue charity.
But then again after seeing the photos from the ‘color race’ in Paris not long ago I think that would be great fun to run with my girlfriend with less pressure as I’m fairly new to running/cycling.
I’ve been training for roughly 8 weeks now and can already feel significant progress but im a fair bit off marathon pace and endurance for the moment.
I’ll most probably pick a Garmin running watch soon to get more serious and hopefully it will help me ‘stabilise’ my pace which is currently too erratic.
Anyway thanks for the great articles and this awesome giveaway.
Guess the next one will be in Amsterdam: Dam tot Damloop, 10 miles, target: 1h05m.
But pondering on another one, we’ll see!
Good luck with the site!
Oravaman, slovakia, finish in top 50.
Next race will be 1/2 tri Leuven (Belgium). Hilly bike, flat run.
A trail half marathon in Windsor on 25th May, the goal depends on how long it takes to get over this injury, but sub 1hr35
MTB marathon next weekend, hoping to finish in first third of the squad in the full distance race.
My last ‘race’ was the 24-hours run in Leuven. A mass event between students here in Belgium, where you have to run laps of approximately 1 km. The team with the most laps obviously wins the race
next: Zurich Airport Run (17km, sub 1:20 goal)
last: Zurich Marathon (did it in 3:28h)
Last Week :
Trail : 56km 2500m D+ in 08h40
Recovery for 2 week – don’t have planned the next race yet
Last race: Wings for Life World Run in Kalmar-Öland. I came 20.4 k, missed the half marathon with just 700 meters! I kept running and run 21.1 k in 1:55, about 15 min faster than my previously pb!
Poznan Marathon on 12 Oct. Getting prepared for 3:20.
Ironman 70.3 Italy @Pescara!!! First Ironman target everything under 6hr ;)
A cross country survival run is planned for later this year, however there are still quite a few different options available so no fixed date yet :-)
cheers!
My local 5K.
Prague International Marathon 12.5.2014 :D
Ive signed up for my first marathon, Nottingham Marathon on 28th September.
Hoping to go sub 4 hours, but just pleased to finish either way!
half marathon on 18 may. no time goal, just to enjoy it :-)
My next race is on 18 of May in Avinyó ( Barcelona/Spain). It’s a XC race of Anbaso bike series. My goal? Top-20 of my category :). In the last one my pos. was 27 so maybe I can get it!!
Saludos!!
XTerra Trail Series 21k, Jordanelle Reservoir, Utah, 6/28
Goal is to finish sub 2hr and hone nutrition strategies for upcoming trail marathon.
This coming Sunday, 1.5km open water swim!
31st May, Bournemouth Sportive – 102 miles of beautiful countryside
Hi. Last race was 14k Perth Trail Series run, with 380 +/- elevation. 1:45ish time, so not fast, and now been out for 2 months with achilles problem. Now started cycling to keep up the cardio fix.
My first 1/4th distance… Dutch triathlon competition, 2nd division. First proper wetsuit race, too. Excited!
IRONMAN 70.3 SWITZERLAND on June 1st in Rapperswil-Jona
Goal is to start the season slowly and surely ahead of longer distances later during the summer
My next race will be a 15.4K (480m+) Trail in Normandy, on July 6th. I’ll give everything I have and hope to finish near 12kph
Bodom Trail Run 21km in Finland on 29th May. Target to finish in 2 hours
My next race is a 10k at Billund Airport 50 years anniversary 16th may. The race takes place at night at the runway and taxiway, so I expect a flat and fast route! :-) My goal is af PR (sub 32 min) if the weather conditions allow it (read – no wind).
It´s gonna be IM Lanzarote on May 17th. Goal is finishing, nothing more…
Ran a half marathon in the Plitvice, Croatia June 01th. I’am hoping for a time below 1:45 hrs.
Repišće in Croatia, tis weekend! :P
Local 5k, first race, no target, just to take part and finish.
My next race is a multisport/adventure race “Spring Adventure” tomorrow at Hyvinkää, Finland. My colleague from work and I form a pair and because of some little injuries our goal is simply to get to the finish line.
My Next race will probably be “Grand Raid du Golf” , 177k around Morbihan Gulf, France, south Brittany.
Cyclotour du Léman !
Road cycling race next week (18th of May), 180km around the Geneva Lake starting from Lausanne and finish at Lausanne, the Olympic Capital, with about half of the race in France and other half in Switzerland !
(www.cyclotour.ch … not so far from Paris, Ray ;) if you want a very nice race with wonderfull views of French and Swiss Alps)
No goal, just finish for my first attempt ;)
Hi. Alicante Triathlon, next sunday, sprint distance. Without any target, I´ll try to do my best.
June14. Boston to Okemo, VT. 130 miles….ouch!
Triathlon Sierakow on 31st May. That’s half ironman distance.
My goal is to finish below 4:30.
Ottawa Half Marathon. Goal is < 1:30
Hi Ray, triathlon de Versailles XS. Main Goal : to finish ! ^^ Regards.
My next race will be 10k race “Stockholm Tunnel Run”. For me it will be a charity run together with my brother without any pressure of making any specific time.
Swiss City Marathon, Lucerne, 26 Oct 2014, Goal: BQ
A MTB race here in WA called the Kalamunda 50, goal at this point is to finish it in about 4 hours! Cheers, CJ
Ottawa 1/2 Marathon – 2 hours
Next race is the London Triathlon, 2:40ish would be good.
10k swim in the Jubilee river, UK. Goal: sub-3 hour
Local mountain bike race in about three weeks. 30k, mostly technical trails. Primary goal is to finish in less than 2 hours. Secondary goal is to not replicate last years crash: link to tinyurl.com
Beccles sprint tri beginning of June. Aiming for 1hr 30min
Kona, October, first time and goal is sub 10hrs (and to deal with the heat/humidity!)
“Elveden Tearjerker” offroad triathlon in East Anglia, UK, later this month. Goal is to jerk no tears!
Laugavegur Ultra Marathon / Iceland / 12 July / To finish in one piece
First race this season is a criterium next weekend in London. Goal is to win, but failing that, just get some experience in the bunch.
The Verbier St-Bernard trail in Switzerland, July 2014. I should have ran this race last year but I got injured just before and I’ve been fighting to get back running since. This will be my first race in over a year, so my goal is to enjoy it and finish pain-free.
Hi!
Next race is sunday the 18th : 20km of Brussels. Target of 1h30-1h40min. Next training is tomorrow for a Zone2-target-run of 17km.
PS: by the way – first post in a year! The good moment to thank you for all your good reviews!
Heartbreak 100, May 17th, Lebec, CA. Third of three stages of the California King of Mountains Challenge. Goal? End up not quite as exhausted as I did with Mullholland Challenge and Breathless Agony, and think it is a good idea to do all three again next year ;)
Ironman Uk – 1st Ironman – goal finishing smiling.
Weiden Triathlon (OD) on May 25th. Goal is to run the 10k in less than 45 min.
Athens Classic Marathon – Goal: sub-4:25 :)
I will be racing my first Enduro Race at Samerberg and I am almost as excited as I was before my first Triathlon in 2003.
My Goal is not to hurt myself and find out whether the race format suits me.
Sadly nothing planned as my last race was the London Marathon (after applying unsuccessfully for 17 years!!) and i knackered my knee half way round so ended up walking the last half :(
Next plan is to get fit again and try again next year….