Fathers of two girls killed in Southport attack among London marathon finishers

The fathers of two girls killed in the Southport attack were among the thousands of runners who crossed the finish line of the London marathon.

More than 56,000 participants were expected on the 26.2-mile course, including celebrities and MPs, as temperatures in the capital hit 22.2C on Sunday.

Among them were David Stancombe and Sergio Aguiar, whose daughters Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice da Silva Aguiar, nine, were murdered in the Southport mass stabbing last summer.

David Stancombe, the father of Southport attack victim Elsie Dot, completed the race (John Walton/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - John Walton

The pair are raising money for projects in memory of their daughters and Bebe King, six, who was also killed at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in July, and were pictured smiling and smiling with their medals after finishing the race.

In a video message posted on X, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer wished the pair “the very best of luck”, adding, “the entire nation is in awe of your courage and your resilience”.

In an interview with BBC Breakfast, Mr Stancombe said: “Even now it still blows me away that so many people know about it and you’re getting messages from the Prime Minister.”

Elsie’s mother, Jenni Stancombe, told the programme that the Prince and Princess of Wales had donated to Elsie’s Story, a charitable trust that distributes grants to support young people in the Southport area, and had sent the family a “special message” before the race.

Running alongside Mr Aguiar was Jinnie Payne, the headteacher of Churchtown Primary School where Alice and Bebe attended.

Actor Stephen Mangan took part in the race through the capital (John Walton/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - John Walton

Among this year’s celebrity participants was radio presenter Adele Roberts who said she hopes her world record-breaking marathon runs show people with cancer they can “achieve anything”.

Roberts, who was previously treated for bowel cancer, broke the record for the fastest aggregate time to complete all World Marathon Major races with a stoma (female), upon completing the London Marathon.

She added: “I’ve been through much, in terms of recovering from cancer, and with every step even though it hurt, I just thought ‘you’re alive, you’re lucky to be experiencing this’, so it was lovely.”

Many runners competed wearing fancy dress, hoping their quirky outfits may boost their fundraising efforts.

Costumes on Sunday included a group dressed as a colourful caterpillar, a pair dressed as shower gel bottles and a participant dressed as t-rex, while some carried items including a fridge and large teddy bears.

Body Coach Joe Wicks was among those running on Sunday (John Walton/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - John Walton

Ali Young, 51, who was attempting to break the world record of the fastest woman to run a marathon dressed as a bird, said her jaw “hurt from smiling” the whole way around the course.

The runner, from Amersham in Buckinghamshire, completed the race dressed as a penguin and said the atmosphere at the event was “absolutely amazing”.

Ms Young is fundraising on behalf of Maggie’s Cancer Care in memory of her late father and is waiting for the Guinness World Record team to verify her attempt.

A doctor from the Wirral in Merseyside also praised the “incredible” support from spectators, saying he felt like he was “floating on air” throughout the race.

Martin Pritchard-Howarth, 56, who was running in aid of disability charity Scope said: ““Thank you to the people of London that got us around – I felt like floating on air at some points, wall-to-wall support, fantastic noise that kept us all going.”

A man who has run 113 marathons dressed as a rhino said people were a “little bit shocked” by him in costume on the Tube on the way to the start line.

Chris Green, who is known as Rhino Boy Chris and is an ambassador for charity Save the Rhinos, holds the world record for the most marathons run in the same three-dimensional costume (male).

The costume, a large grey rhino outfit complete with large horn, was adorned on Sunday with a Union flag and hat.

He added: “You know what the best thing about wearing this costume is it brings out the big kid in everybody – if ever you’re feeling cynical about the world, put on a rhino costume and I guarantee you’ll see the best in people.”

More than 56,000 people are taking part on Sunday (Jonathan Brady/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jonathan Brady

Other fundraisers included Emmerdale star Tony Audenshaw, who last ran the London Marathon in 2015 but has returned to support Pancreatic Cancer UK, the event’s charity of the year, after the death of his wife Ruth in April 2017 aged 43.

Comedian and TV presenter Romesh Ranganathan, McFly drummer Harry Judd, former England footballer John Terry, actor Stephen Mangan and singer Alexandra Burke also finished the race.

Two pro-Palestine activists jumped over the barriers separating spectators from the race course and threw red powder paint on to Tower Bridge in front of the men’s elite race, the group Youth Demand said.

An image shared by the group showed two people standing in the middle of the road wearing T-shirts bearing the words “Youth Demand: Stop Arming Israel.”

The pair were quickly arrested by police, the group said, while marathon organisers said the event “was not impacted in any way”.

Crowds of supporters, many holding banners, lined the streets of the city to cheer on the runners and wave to their loved ones.

Many supporters chose light-hearted slogans for their signs, including one that bore the words “whine now, wine later”.

Runners appeared a mixture of jubilant and exhausted as they cross the finish line, with some becoming emotional and shedding tears after they collected their medals along the Mall.

Eilish McColgan is among the competitors in the women’s elite London Marathon (Jonathan Brady/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jonathan Brady

London could set a new record for the world’s biggest marathon, which is currently held by the TCS New York Marathon in November when there were 55,646 finishers.

Ethiopian runner Tigst Assefa won the women’s elite race, setting a new women-only world record with a time of two hours, 15 minutes and 50 seconds.

Sebastian Sawe, from Kenya, came first in the men’s elite race with a time of two hours, two minutes and 27 seconds.

Sixteen MPs were also among those running, including Labour’s Josh Fenton-Glyn, Conservative Harriet Cross, Liberal Democrat Tom Gordon and shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick.

Last year, TCS London Marathon raised a record-breaking £73.5 million, bringing the cumulative total raised since the first race in 1981 to more than £1.3 billion, according to organisers.