Two dads of Southport victims triumph at London Marathon as they proudly display medals and raise cash for fund
TWO dads of Southport victims proudly display their medals yesterday after an emotional London Marathon.
Sergio Aguiar and David Stancombe raised cash for projects set up in memory of their murdered girls Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven.
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Sergio had a picture of nine-year-old Alice on his T-shirt and collapsed to the ground at the finish.
'Elsie's dad' was displayed on David's top and he gave a thumbs-up when he crossed the line. The girls were killed alongside Bebe King, six, in a horrific knife rampage last July.
Bebe's parents Lauren and Ben were both cheering from the sidelines.
Prince William and Princess Kate are understood to have sent their best wishes to the dads.
They also donated to Elsie's Story, as well as the Churchtown Playground fund, for which Sergio ran.
Elsie's mum Jenni said beforehand: 'We did get a special message from the Prince and Princess of Wales. Obviously we've previously met and spent some time with them and told them about Elsie's Story. So to have a message and a donation means a lot to us.'
David added: 'It was special.' Around 56,000 runners took part in the event — with organisers hopeful of breaking New York's record in November of 55,646 finishers.
EastEnders actor Adam Woodyatt ran for Alzheimer's UK and had 'Babs' Army' on his T-shirt with a picture of co-star Dame Barbara Windsor, who died in 2020.
TV host Helen Skelton, ex-footballer John Terry and Virgin Radio DJ Chris Evans were among other celeb finishers.
Comedian Joel Dommett hoped to do it in under three hours, but fainted halfway through.
Team GB legend Paula Radcliffe gives her top tips ahead of running a marathon
The youngest runner was Lucy Jones, 18 yesterday, while the oldest were Mohan Kudchadker, 84, and Mary Jo Brinkman, 83, who both travelled from the US.
Costumes included Big Bens, sharks and giant chickens.
Tigst Assefa won the women's elite race in a world record 02.15.50.
Two pro-Palestine protesters jumped the barriers at Tower Bridge and threw red powder paint in front of the men's elite race, won by Sabastian Sawe in 02.2.25.
Sun sports reporter Joshua Jones ran for youth violence charity Power The Fight, finishing in 04.05.39.
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In the past year, Rachel has also angered some with her outspoken advocacy on behalf of Palestinian children in Gaza who have been under consistent violence by Israel. She has used her platform to raise awareness about the conditions faced by children there, including lack of access to food, education, and medical care. Ms. Rachel has even made videos with Palestinian children who were able to escape Gaza - including three-year-old Rahaf who was left a double amputee after Israel's siege of the region. She has repeatedly said that her advocacy is non-negotiable - even if it comes at the expense of her career. 'I am fully willing to risk my career for this,' she stated in a video shared earlier this year. 'It is more important to me to speak out than to remain silent.' Her advocacy has included re-sharing posts from humanitarian organizations, educating her followers about the crisis, and calling for an end to the violence. 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In response, Ms. Rachel commented directly on a social media post discussing Olivia's comment, writing, 'I'd rather you cover my advocacy for kids in Gaza.' She later followed up with a post on her own Instagram account, sharing screenshots of those comments alongside a caption that read: 'WHO CARES?! 'I'd rather you cover me advocating for kids in Gaza who are literally starving, [the] largest cohort of child amputees in modern history, thousands and thousands killed – no medical care, no education, no homes… do better,' she added. She emphasized that her frustration was directed at the coverage - not at Munn. 'Not against her at all and don't care that she doesn't want to watch the show - all my love to her and her family - disappointed in the outlets,' she wrote.
