Rachel Apa, a 24-year-old former college field hockey player, died from a rare muscle condition called rhabdomyolysis after collapsing near the finish line of the New York City Marathon. Her father, Steve Apa, revealed the cause of death, which can be brought on by excessive exercise without adequate rest.
Apa collapsed in Central Park around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday. Medical personnel and physicians from the crowd administered aid, and CPR was performed. Race organizers stated that marathon medical staff arrived with a defibrillator, followed by paramedics with an ambulance that transported her to Mount Sinai Medical Center. Doctors attempted to save her life for six hours before pronouncing her dead at 9:40 p.m.
Rhabdomyolysis is a condition where muscle fibers break down, releasing toxic components into the bloodstream and kidneys. It affects approximately 0.0076 percent of the U.S. population annually. "It's unfathomable," Steve Apa told The New York Times. "Perfect health, perfect shape, 24 years old."
Apa, a graduate of Bucknell University, had been training for months to run the marathon and raise money for the Parkinson's Foundation in memory of her grandfather. She wrote on her fundraising page that she was inspired by her grandfather's love for movement and his later struggle with Parkinson's disease.
This is the first death of a runner during the New York City Marathon since 2024. In 2007, Ryan Shay died in Central Park during the Olympic marathon trials held by the New York Road Runners.
