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
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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.
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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!
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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.
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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!
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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.
New–Washington DC Tri Resource Section/Post
I get a ton of requests for the best places for triathletes to train, so I started putting them all together in a single cohesive (updatable) post. Now, there are a gazillion places to train in the DC area, but … Read More Here
Guest Post: ‘The Girl’ Speaks!
(Quick note from Ray: The following was actually written before we got engaged this past weekend. She had no idea about that, and she put together this post a few months back and I hemmed and hawed waiting to post … Read More Here
She said ‘Yes!’
Oh – and because all you girls will say “Show us the ring!”…here ya go: And with that…The Girl (or perhaps now, The Fiancee!) and I are off camping for the rest of the week. Enjoy!
St. John’s Newfoundland Triathlon Race Report
Sometimes…things go well, like really well. And sometimes, things don’t go so well, like rather badly. As for this race…well, the number three wasn’t just the number of sports I did today. But let’s start at the beginning. The beginning … Read More Here
Weekly Mailbag–August 7th, 2010
Here’s this week’s edition of the weekly mailbag. This is a weekly series where I feature a handful of the e-mailed questions I received from the previous week or so. I try and pick a wide variety of questions. Some … Read More Here
Garmin Forerunner 310XT Giveaway
Can you believe it’s August already? You know what that means? Well, not a whole lot really…except that we’re now simply one month closer to the end of summer. :( So in an effort to counteract that – I’m going … Read More Here
Shark Week Time (Starring Me?!?)
If you’ve been around these parts long enough, you know I like sharks. Really any type of shark…but generally the bigger the better. Thus, this week on the trainer has been full of Shark Week action: So much so that … Read More Here
Timex Ironman GPS Global Trainer In Depth Review
When the Timex Global Trainer was announced earlier this year, most folks were quite excited to see a new entrant into the triathlon watch/device scene. With the watches ANT+ capabilities and full waterproofing it would make ideal training partner for … Read More Here
A weekend at home (finally)
I’m gonna keep this post short…mostly because I’ve spent the last few hours putting the final touches on the Timex Global Trainer review (to be posted at 12:01AM EST Tuesday), and thus, my keyboard and mouse are basically asking for … Read More Here
Weekly Mailbag–July 31st, 2010
Here’s this week’s edition of the weekly mailbag. This is a weekly series where I feature a handful of the e-mailed questions I received from the previous week or so. I try and pick a wide variety of questions. Some … Read More Here
Swimming into a policed compound…in a foreign country
I arrived under cover of darkness into Santo Domingo on Tuesday night, after my 48 hours in Guatemala City. When I left nearly two weeks ago, the Dominican Republic wasn’t actually on my travel itinerary, but a last minute change … Read More Here
Thoughts on triathlon bike penalties (USAT & WTC)
I’ve always thought the USAT and WTC penalty system does little to deter racers from committing penalties, in particular – – on the bike. And just to be clear why I care primarily about the bike – the penalties on … Read More Here
48 Hours in Guatemala City
After leaving Mexico city on Sunday, I caught a flight some 670 miles south to Guatemala City, Guatemala. Now, it’s fully understandable that you may not know much about Guatemala City, or for that matter – exactly where it is … Read More Here
Training at 7,500 feet
As I talked about yesterday, I’ve spent the previous week in Mexico City, Mexico – which has an elevation of 7,500 feet above sea level. That’s roughly 2,000 feet higher than Boulder, Colorado…or, for those Floridians, that’s about 7,498 feet … Read More Here
A week in Mexico City
I’ve been spending the last seven days a bit south of the border, some 2,000 miles from Washington DC in Mexico City, Mexico. I’m down here for work, and while it’s kept me quite busy during the week – I … Read More Here
Weekly Mailbag–July 24th, 2010
Here’s this week’s edition of the weekly mailbag. This is a weekly series where I feature a handful of the e-mailed questions I received from the previous week or so. I try and pick a wide variety of questions. Some … Read More Here
I want my free cookie back
(Note: Sometimes you dig deep into the things I haven’t yet posted jar…just like you dig deep into the cookie jar.) I like cookies. Quite a bit in fact. Today alone I ate a whole bunch of cookies as part … Read More Here
How I would design the ideal sports watch
I’m asked on a daily basis which device I prefer and why. Generally it’s in the context of whether oe should choose device X or device Y, or perhaps a combination of device W and device X. My answers are … Read More Here
How I attempt to balance training, work, life, and blogging
It’s funny, I get a surprising number of questions regarding how on earth I manage to balance work, training, life and blogging. And, to be honest. I don’t. No, not ‘I don’t know’. But rather, ‘I don’t’ as in ‘I … Read More Here
The New York Triathlon 2010 Race Report
There are early race start times…and then there’s Nautica’s NYC Triathlon start times. How early you might ask? Well, 5:54AM. I don’t even think the birds are up that early. But…I was. Actually, I was up at 4:00AM. Luckily, I … Read More Here
Weekly Mailbag–July 17th, 2010
Here’s this week’s edition of the weekly mailbag. This is a weekly series where I feature a handful of the e-mailed questions I received from the previous week or so. I try and pick a wide variety of questions. Some … Read More Here
The NYC Tri Expo and Underwear Run
Quick Administrative Note: In an effort to bring you the latest scantily clad triathletes running around central park, the normally scheduled Weekly Mailbag post will instead appear tomorrow. Thanks! As you might have guessed by the title, I’m up in … Read More Here
Behind the scenes of Team HTC-Columbia and the Tour de France Live Tracker
Over the past week and a half of watching the Tour de France, you may have stumbled upon a site that allows you to track Team HTC-Columbia’s riders power, heart rate, cadence and speed data in real-time from your computer … 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
Garmin Forerunner 110 In Depth Product Review
When the Garmin Forerunner 110 was first announced earlier this spring, many folks were excited to finally see a GPS watch that didn’t look like a cinder block attached to their wrist. As GPS chipsets and the supporting technology got … Read More Here
