Owen Bainbridge, former Royal National College for the Blind (RNC) student and England Blind Football international, and Gareth Bennett, Personal Trainer and Strength & Conditioning (S&C) Coach at thePoint4, are taking on the Sprint Triathlon to raise funds for RNC.
The pair will compete on Sunday 7 June 2026 as part of the Herefordshire Multi-Sport Festival. The Sprint Triathlon includes a 400m swim, a 12-mile cycle, and a 5k run.
RNC has a proud sporting history, and Owen is very much part of that story. He’s played in the National Blind Football League for Worcester, Merseyside, and RNC and went on to become one of England Blind Football’s most established players, earning 99 international caps, with a three-year stint as Captain.
Originally from Bishop Auckland, in 2010 Owen joined RNC to study Massage and Complementary Therapies. He returned to Hereford after meeting his wife Anika, and set up his own successful business, Knightswood Massage Therapies, now specialising in Sports Therapy and Massage.
Owen has since built on the foundations gained at RNC, achieving a Level 4 qualification in Sports Massage and a Level 5 Diploma in Sports and Clinical Therapies.
Staff, players, and supporters of Westfields FC may also recognise Owen in his role as the Club’s Physio.
Owen said:
Without learning massage techniques at RNC, I wouldn’t have gone on to have the career I have today. I took that learning and studied further, and it’s allowed me to build a business in sports therapy and massage alongside my football career.
The Triathlon represents a brand-new challenge for Owen, whose competitive running experience has largely been made up of short sprints and short dashes on the football pitch. Now he is running out in the open for longer distances, tethered to his guide runner Gareth.
It’s just good to experience different things.Training for three disciplines is completely different. You find yourself thinking you’ve done your runs but haven’t been on the bike or in the pool. I think training is going well, but until I complete my first triathlon, it’s hard to really know.
During the event, Owen and Gareth will compete together throughout all three disciplines. The swim will take place side-by-side in an indoor pool, with Gareth slightly ahead, guiding and communicating with Owen. For the cycle, Gareth will pilot Owen on a tandem bike – a first-time experience for Gareth, while Owen hasn’t ridden since childhood. The 5km run will see the pair tethered together, with Gareth acting as Owen’s guide describing the environment and terrain ahead.
