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:
With TPC (The Pro's Closet), you'll save $40 on purchases over $200 with coupon code DCRAIN40 for tech and non-tech purchases!
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.
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My Photography Gear: The Cameras and Equipment 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! 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 2023 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.
United States
A New York City Runaround
I flew out to New York late Tuesday night, only in town for a little under 48 hours – just enough for a full slate of work meetings. I ended up swimming on Wednesday at a place just a few … Read More Here
A San Francisco Swimming Flight Connection Layover
When I booked this particular flight combination a few weeks ago, I wasn’t exactly sure what to do with the 5 hour layover. Additionally, I had mentally thought the flight left at noon, rather than 10AM – meaning that I … Read More Here
A rockslide ride in Los Angeles, plus some aerodynamic testing
I arrived into Long Beach (greater LA area) around 7:50AM on Friday, from a week in Las Vegas. First on the agenda was finding Starbucks. With a 5AM departure to the airport, I needed it. Badly. I actually don’t like … Read More Here
A recovery week riding and swimming in Vegas
No, not recovery swimming in the gigantic leisure pools here at the hotel. Rather, swimming laps at the actual municipal city pool. But before we get to that, I had to get to Las Vegas. So after running the Paris … Read More Here
A weekend in Seattle playing with the Garmin Fenix and other gadgets
Important Note: I’ve published a full-scale Garmin Fenix In-Depth review (13,000 words!) over here at this link. The below were initial thoughts on beta hardware with highly beta firmware. Specific hardware changes were made since then to address some altitude … Read More Here
A weekend bouncing up and down the East Coast (and a look at the new Joule GPS)
While we may have moved to Paris, it certainly doesn’t seem like it yet. In fact, since moving to Paris, I’ve spent more time outside of Paris than in Paris – go figure! We had long since planned to come … Read More Here
A week of relaxing (and product reviewing) in Florida
Ahead of our big move to Paris, we’ve spent weeks…if not really months preparing. Since we had to be out of our house back on June 4th, we’ve actually been hoteling it since – with locations dependent on my work … Read More Here
Photo of the week: A summary of my week
I started writing a post highlighting a couple photos from the craziness that’s been the last 7 days. But then I realized, the above drink napkin I filled in during one of my nine flights this week actually covered it … Read More Here
Weekend Tidbits: Running with Chris Lieto, shooting with the pros, and a DSLR tethered iPhone
The two previous posts I did around Ironman Texas 70.3 in the past couple days were more finitely focused on the race scene (day before and race day), so I wanted to take a second to show off some of … Read More Here
A bit more than a weekend in Seattle
For roughly the past week I’ve been hanging out in Seattle for work. Of course, since Seattle is where I grew up – that also means I get to spend time with the rest of my family, and enjoy some … Read More Here
A quick travel day, plus some new gadgets
The past week has been pretty crazy busy workwise, with the only saving grace being that training is on a ‘flexible’ schedule – which basically means I run, ride and swim when I want. Take for example today. Today started … Read More Here
A Thanksgiving Weekend in Seattle
I flew out to Seattle Tuesday night, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday here in the US – to enjoy a bit of relaxation after a rather busy fall, with my family (it’s where I grew up). Of course, in the … Read More Here
A relaxing weekend in San Francisco
This weekend I was out in San Francisco for the last Men’s Health Urbanathlon of the year. The event was held on Sunday, but we actually went out Thursday to enjoy a bit of the city and make a weekend … Read More Here
A bit of a Canadian Rockies Weekend
We bumbled our way across the US (and Canada) most of the day Saturday, eventually arriving in Calgary later that evening. Normally this would have made for a relatively calm 90 minute drive up into the mountains, but due to … Read More Here
Loops around the track and airport in Seattle
This week my workouts have largely been centered around my hometown in Mukilteo, WA. I’ve been out here for work all week, but I stay with my parents and do all my workouts in the area near my house. For … Read More Here
We’re not in Kansas anymore…or wait…are we?
Shortly after landing at Kansas City International airport on Friday evening The Girl expressed some concern that the car rental driver said we were actually in Missouri. It’s at this point I remembered from the last time I was in … Read More Here
A ‘Magical’ Weekend
When I was ‘signed up’ for this past weekend almost a year ago, I didn’t exactly expect for it to be slotted in between weeks of back to back international travel…but then again, I’m not exactly what I was supposed … Read More Here
A brief tour of my hometown…Mukilteo, WA
While the initial driver of my weekend at home was my 10 year high school reunion, and then the Kirkland Sprint Triathlon – I was also looking forward to showing off a bit of my hometown to The Girl in … Read More Here
A short trip to the Big Easy…with a side of BBQ in Memphis
We’re gonna keep this quick…because quite frankly – I’m exhausted. I headed down to New Orleans rather early on Tuesday. It’s nice in that they had a nonstop morning flight from DC, making it easy to avoid having to stay … Read More Here
Beating the heat in Connecticut
Monday midday we (The Girl, my Mom, my Dad, and I) packed up the car and headed up to nearby BWI airport to catch a flight to Hartford, CT – just a short 45 minute hop away. This is where … Read More Here
Trying not to get skunked on a 3AM training ride
I’ve crisscrossed the country hundreds of times, though today’s flight home is a bit of a different experience. Because of a mechanical issue, my little Airbus 320 is being kept below 28,000 feet – thus providing a slightly different view … Read More Here
A log cabin, and following strangers in pickup trucks
Way back at the Rumpass in Bumpass Triathlon, our friends Lindsey and Carl had planned to join us for the weekend (and race) down at Lake Anna in the RV adventure. The lake is about 90 minutes south of DC … Read More Here
Training in the middle of nowhere
My travel for work goes in spurts – sometimes there are dry spells, and sometimes it gets…umm…undry. I’m currently in the midst of a rather busy work travel set. While sometimes my travels take me to interesting places at home … Read More Here
The NYC Red Bull Air Races…and other items in NYC
When I heard about the Red Bull Air Races a few years back, I mentally jotted it down as a pretty sweet thing to eventually go check out (btw, check out videos like this to see what I mean). At … Read More Here
Getting pushed out of a plane at 14,000 feet
As you may remember from yesterday’s little Space Shuttle adventure, we had a brief stop to make on the way home…or so I thought. I had been told by pilot and crew (aka…The Girl) that we were just picking up … Read More Here