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  "path": "/news/london-marathon-southport-fathers-run-memory-daughters-liverpool",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-24T09:47:48.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Wolverhampton man will walk 130 MILES to London Marathon start line before running at iconic race",
    "'Superstar' British runner sacrifices personal best time to help exhausted man finish marathon",
    "Girl, 6, has sight miraculously restored thanks to life-changing eye gene therapy on NHS",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nFathers of two of the three girls murdered in the Southport attack have become \"like brothers\" and are set to run the London Marathon together in memory of their daughters.\n\nSergio Aguiar and David Stancombe lost their girls, Alice Da Silva Aguiar, nine, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, in the July 2024 attack at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThey died alongside six-year-old Bebe King when an attacker targeted the dance class, leaving three families and an entire community devastated.\n\nBoth fathers ran last year's London Marathon separately in memory of their daughters, but this year they will take on the 26.2 mile course side by side.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nDavid said: \"Last year we ran it as two dads, and this time around we're running it as two friends.\n\n\"We wanted to run it together because of how close we've got.\"\n\nThe pair described running as a form of therapy - a way to process the unimaginable grief.\n\nSergio told the BBC: \"You have these kind of days you don't want to wake up and as soon as I go out running afterwards I feel much better - so running for me has helped me a lot.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"I'm not running to get faster. I'm just running to get better.\"\n\nSergio said running alongside David had become \"very important\" to him, describing the bond they had formed as something deeper than friendship.\n\n\"He is like a brother,\" Sergio said.\n\nDavid responded: \"I feel the same. I say the exact same.\"\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Wolverhampton man will walk 130 MILES to London Marathon start line before running at iconic race\n  * 'Superstar' British runner sacrifices personal best time to help exhausted man finish marathon\n  * Girl, 6, has sight miraculously restored thanks to life-changing eye gene therapy on NHS\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nSergio said he felt a strong bond with David from the first moment they met and hoped their friendship would last for the rest of his life.\n\nDavid told Sergio directly: \"I don't think you realise how much you have helped me.\"\n\nLast year, Sergio ran the London Marathon to raise money for a new playground at Alice's school, while David ran in support of Elsie's Story, the charity set up in his daughter's name.\n\nAfter completing London in 2025, Sergio set himself the extraordinary challenge of running all six of the world's major marathons within 12 months for Alice's WonderDance, the foundation he established in her honour.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nHe has since completed marathons in Berlin, Chicago, New York, Tokyo and Boston, with London this weekend completing the set.\n\nDavid said he was in awe of everything Sergio had achieved, adding: \"I think what he's done is incredible. I certainly couldn't do it, going from one marathon to another. When Sergio gets his sixth major medal, I'll be the first one to clap.\"\n\nWith Sergio the more experienced runner of the two, the pair were asked whether David would be able to keep pace.\n\nSergio joked that he would hold David back if he went ahead.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nInspired by the two fathers, the schools attended by Alice and Elsie will also be taking part in a mini marathon in London on Saturday.\n\nDavid said he hoped it showed the positive impact running could have on children and communities alike.\n\nBebe King's family will also be on the sidelines to cheer them on, with both men drawing comfort from knowing they will have each other's families around them throughout the day.\n\nSergio said that no matter how many marathons he runs, his thoughts are always with Alice, wishing he could see her one more time.\n\nDavid said that every time he laces up his trainers, he does it for Elsie, and that crossing the finish line in London would bring with it a profound sense of achievement — not just for himself, but for both fathers and their daughters.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Southport dads who have become 'like brothers' to run London Marathon together in memory of their daughters"
}