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A 24-year-old woman has died after collapsing near the end of the New York City Marathon, where she was running her first race to raise money for Parkinson's disease research in honour of her late grandfather.
Rachel Apa collapsed in Central Park on Sunday, November 1, as she approached the final two miles of the 26.2-mile race. She was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where doctors attempted to save her for several hours. She was pronounced dead at 9:40 p.m.
Her father, Steve Apa, told The New York Times that she died from rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which damaged muscles break down and release substances into the bloodstream that can harm the body's organs. The condition can occur following intense physical exertion.
Steve described his daughter as being in "perfect health, perfect shape" before the race.
Rachel's parents had been following her progress during the marathon. Her mother, Michelle, recorded a video of her looking happy as she passed the family around the 14-mile mark.
However, her messages to her father later suggested she was experiencing pain. At mile 18, she texted him, "Ow." A mile later, she sent another message: "Ow, ow." Steve later sent her a message reading "final stretch" as she approached the end of the course, but she did not respond.
Around mile 24, spectator Michaela Nicholas was cheering runners when she saw Rachel collapse shortly after passing her. Nicholas and other bystanders rushed to help, with two people beginning CPR.
Nicholas, a hospital social worker, said she held Rachel's hand and tried to reassure her while help was being administered. "I just held Rachel's hand and talked to her and told her that she wasn't alone and that she's loved, and I prayed for her," she recalled.
Race medical staff later continued resuscitation efforts and used a defibrillator before paramedics transported Rachel to hospital. Doctors were unable to save her.
Rachel was a former Division I field hockey player at Bucknell University, where she graduated in 2024 with a degree in markets, innovation and design. She had recently started an MBA programme at Charleston Southern University and also worked as a product manager for an electrical component company.
She entered the marathon as part of the Parkinson's Champions team, raising money for research in memory of her grandfather, who died from the disease in 2022.
In her fundraising biography, Rachel wrote that her grandfather had been her role model and encouraged her to remain active, challenge herself and embrace movement. Watching Parkinson's gradually take away his ability to move had inspired her to support research into the disease.
