Tess Waterhouse - 1372

Tess Waterhouse is the smiling assassin, the one who powers her way around a course.

Since joining the Hillbillies, the quiet and unassuming school teacher has pushed herself - and those of us around her - to train hard and race harder. She is typical of many high achievers who find that something extra on race day.

Heading back to Kona this year, Tess is more experienced. She's also in good form. She is more in sync with her training and her fitness than ever. She didn't dwell on her misfortune last year. It happened; it's in the past. It did give her a chance to check out PART of the course and watch some of the race too. And it apparently helped her find the inspiration to train another season.

“She has always been someone to challenge herself,’’ says Chris. “I remember when she wasn’t even racing. She was a member of an elite swim squad in Homebush, which saw her pump out five to seven squads a week.’’

And Tess certainly knows how to swim. She takes the hard-earned time advantage from the swim (finding a way to dodge and weave her way through a lot of age-group men elbows) and paces herself through the bike before heading out at top speed on the run. [She even ran with Macca at Forster!]

In training for the 2005 World Champs, Tess took second in her age group at the Cairns half. She got her Kona spot with a convincing 30-34 age group win at Forster in 10:16:14. (Steph - her profile will appear next - came second, Jenny was fifth and Eva was tenth.)

Tess has put together a consistent string of podium finishes in the last two seasons, carefully managed by her fast-walking, smooth-talking agent Mal.

“Her best weapons are determination and a fantastic attitude,” says Chris, and who among us can argue with that. Unlike those of us who ride like demons in the park on Tuesday mornings, Tess pushes herself to the edge on a wind trainer in solitude. She has put in the time and effort, allowing her to reap the rewards with another appearance in Hawaii.

Tess Waterhouse – Race number 1372