Fathers of Southport victims crosses London Marathon finish line after gruelling 26.2-mile race in memory of their murdered daughters
The fathers of two of the Southport stabbing victims have completed the London marathon in their honour.
David Stancombe, whose seven-year-old daughter Elsie Dot, and Sergio Aguiar, father to nine-year-old Alice, said their little girls were with them as they ran the 26.2mile course.
The schoolgirls were tragically murdered in the horrific knife attack last summer, alongside six-year-old Bebe King at a Taylor Swift themed dance class.
Overcome with emotion, the exhausted Mr Aguiar was seen collapsing at the finish line by Buckingham Palace after completing the gruelling course.
Two volunteers dashed to his aid before handing Mr Aguiar his medal, which he proudly displayed.
The heroic father - who had little running experience - was running the mammoth course through the capital to raise money for projects set up in Alice's name.
The donations will go towards building a new playground at Churchdown Primary School, where Alice was a pupil.
A performance stage and a library are also set to be built and will be dedicated to Alice and Bebe, who also went to school there.
The Prince and Princess of Wales have already made donations towards the projects.
Alice's mother, Alexandra, said that her daughter would feel really special knowing that children will get to play in her playground forever.
She also believed that her little girl would be with her dad every step of the way: 'She's always with us. And she's going to be there helping Daddy.'
Mr Aguiar told BBC Breakfast earlier this week that when he runs alone, he speaks to Alice.
'I tell her to keep going with me, that we're going to do this together, you're going to be with me - always,' he said in the heartbreaking interview.
'Twenty-six miles, I've never done anything like that before. But for my girl, I would do 26 or 50 - whatever,' he added. 'The pain doesn't matter, I'm going to do it.
In the end, he completed the mammoth challenge in just over four hours and five minutes, coming 17,509 out of nearly 56,000 runners.
Among the men, he placed 12,482.
Mr Stancombe and his wife Jenni said the Prince and Princess of Wales had already donated to Elsie's Story
Mrs Aguiar also said that if Alice were here to watch her dad that 'she would have made a big thing of it and told everyone'.
Mr Aguiar joked that 'she would also bring her shopping list to do after the marathon!'
Mr Stancombe also completed the gruelling challenge to raise money for Elsie's Story, a charity providing grants to help young people in the Southport area.
Elsie had originally suggested he do it last year when she saw the marathon on TV.
The stoic father said he originally intended to do it for Elsie's grandmother - never expecting that he would instead be doing it for his own child.
'A little bit of me was like "oh yeah, all right Els",' he said. 'I just never thought I would be running it for these reasons.'
Elsie's mother, Jenni, said the Prince and Princess of Wales had also already donated and sent the family a 'special message'.
Mr Stancombe finished the challenging circuit in just under four and a half hours, coming in at 24,416 overall - and 16,827 among the men.
Jinnie Payne, the headteacher at Alice and Bebe's school, is also running the marathon
Bebe's parents, Lauren and Ben King, are attending the race but cheering on the runners from the sidelines.
Mr King said: 'It is just incredible what they are both doing. And we want to be a part of it every step of the way.'
Bebe's mum believed that even though none of the girls knew each other alive 'they are just up there watching over us and looking out for us'.
The Prime Minister wished both fathers luck earlier today ahead of the gruelling run.
In a video message, he said: 'David and Sergio, I want to wish you the very best of luck in the London Marathon this weekend. I know how much it means to you and your families.
'This is an incredible way to honour the memory of your precious daughters and the entire nation is in awe of your courage and your resilience.
'We'll all be with you every single step of the way. Good luck.'
David said that 'even now, it still blows me away that so many people know about it, and you're getting messages from the prime minister.
'I would love people to know I've seen their message, but I have genuinely read so many of them. It's amazing.'
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