Former student and England blind footballer takes on Herefordshire Triathlon to support the College

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.

Pictured L-R: Gareth and Owen in thePoint4 gym training on exercise bikes

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.

'Without learning massage techniques at RNC, I wouldn’t have gone on to have the career I have today,' Owen said. '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,' he added. '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.


Pictured L-R: Owen and Gareth starting off a run

Gareth brings over 25 years experience in the sports and fitness industry, including the last 15 years in strength and conditioning and runs his own business, Train GB. He and Owen have known each other for more than 15 years, having first worked together when Gareth worked with the England Blind Football team as S&C Coach. Their partnership continues today, with Gareth training Owen, and Owen providing sports therapy and massage to Gareth.

Gareth has previously completed the Herefordshire Triathlon and persuaded Owen to join him this year. Always keen for new challenges the pair already have their next one lined up – the Welsh Three Peaks, tackling Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), Cadair Idris, and Pen Y Fan within 24 hours.

Explaining why they chose to raise funds for RNC, Gareth said:

'It’s because of the fantastic work RNC does in supporting visually impaired people. I’ve worked closely with the College and thePoint4 for many years and see that impact first-hand.'

Owen added:

'The support RNC gives goes right across the board, not just sport, but independent living and life skills too. I have the career I have today because I started learning here, so this is also about giving something back.'

If you would like to support Owen and Gareth’s challenge, please visit their JustGiving page here.

Pictured L-R: Owen and Gareth with their tandem bike standing in front of student graffiti art which features Owen wearing blind football eyeshades above them