New York City Marathon: Rachel Apa, 24, dies after collapsing two miles from the finish

A 24-year-old runner, Rachel Apa, has died after collapsing on Sunday, November 1, during the New York City Marathon, in Central Park near Mile 24, a little more than two miles from the finish. According to the New York Police Department, quoted by Daily Voice, the medical emergency was reported at around 1:40 p.m. It was her first marathon. She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she was pronounced dead at around 9:40 p.m. after about six hours of treatment, Marathon Handbook reports, citing the New York Times.

Her father, Steve Apa, told the New York Times that his daughter died of rhabdomyolysis, a rapid breakdown of muscle that releases toxic substances into the blood. "Perfect health, perfect shape, 24 years old," he said. Marathon Handbook notes that everything known about the cause of death comes from the family.

Help on the course

According to the organizer, New York Road Runners (NYRR), quoted by ABC7, a bystander first performed CPR. Race medical staff took over with a defibrillator, and an ambulance then took her to Mount Sinai. Two doctors in the crowd took turns performing CPR, according to the New York Times. NYRR said it was "deeply saddened" and sent its sympathies to her family, her friends and the entire running community. The organizer said the last runner death after a medical incident at the marathon was in 2024.

During the race, Steve Apa was following his daughter from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, and sending her messages. She replied only twice after halfway, at Miles 18 and 19, to say she was hurting, according to Marathon Handbook. Her mother, Michelle, was waiting near the finish and became worried when the tracking app showed her stopped.

Who Rachel Apa was

A native of Lewisberry, Rachel Apa played Division I field hockey at Bucknell University. She worked as a product manager at TE Connectivity and had just started an MBA at Charleston Southern University, according to Daily Voice. She was running for the Parkinson's Foundation Champions team in memory of her grandfather, who died of Parkinson's disease in 2022. Her fundraising page had passed 5,000 dollars by Tuesday, against a goal of 4,000 dollars.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, cited by Marathon Handbook, endurance athletes are among the people most at risk of rhabdomyolysis. A study by physicians from Mount Sinai and Lenox Hill counted 24 runners treated for the condition after the 2022 New York City Marathon, the hottest on record, with no deaths.