Southport dads finish London Marathon side by side

Southport dads finish London Marathon side by side1 hour agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleRumeana JahangirNorth WestBBCDavid Stancombe and Sergio Aguiar finished the 2026 London Marathon in four hours and 36 minutesThe fathers of two girls who were killed in the Southport attack have crossed the finish line of the London Marathon side by side.Sergio Aguiar and David Stancombe, who have said running was a therapy for them, raced together in the event after also taking part last year.Their daughters Alice Da Silva Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, died alongside six-year-old Bebe King after an attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance workshop in July 2024.They both completed the 26.2-mile course in a time of four hours and 36 minutes.Before the event, they were presented with the Spirit of London Marathon Awards, which also grants them a race spot for life.Family handoutSergio has completed seven marathons in Alice's memorySergio said he "couldn't believe" they had been granted the accolade, adding that he runs for his daughter Alice to "spread her magic"."It means a lot and it is a gift from my princess," he said.After finishing the London Marathon last year, Sergio decided to do six of the world's major marathons in 12 months for the foundation he set up in his daughter's memory, Alice's WonderDance.He has since completed marathons in Berlin, Chicago, New York, Tokyo and Boston.Family handoutDavid ran to raise funds for a charity in Elsie's memoryInspired by Sergio and David's running, Alice and Elsie's schools also took part in a mini-marathon in London on Saturday.David said he was "very proud" to have received the spirit award, adding he was pleased to see some of Elsie's friends race in Saturday's event.Prior to Sunday's race, he told BBC Breakfast: "Last year we ran it as two dads and this time around we're running it as two friends."We wa...