A 24-year-old runner collapsed and died along the final stretch of Sunday's New York City Marathon, race organizers the New York Road Runners (NYRR) confirmed. The runner, Rachel Apa, was a former college field hockey player and Bucknell University graduate.
Apa collapsed in Central Park around 1:30 p.m. local time, according to The New York Times. A hospital social worker and two physicians from the crowd attempted to assist before medical staff arrived with a defibrillator, followed by paramedics and an ambulance. She was transported to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead at 9:40 p.m. after doctors attempted to save her life for six hours.
Her father told The New York Times that Apa died from rhabdomyolysis, a rare condition where skeletal muscle breaks down rapidly, poisoning the bloodstream.
Apa had been training for months to run the marathon and raise money for the Parkinson's Foundation Champion. She was running in honor of her grandfather, who died in 2022 from Parkinson's disease. "My grandfather was my role model growing up," she wrote online. "He taught me to stay active, push my limits, and embrace challenges, shaping my love for sports and movement. Later in life, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, and I watched as the disease slowly took away the freedom to move that he once loved so much."
The NYRR stated, "We are deeply saddened by the death of one of our runners following yesterday's race. Our thoughts and sincere sympathies are with the runner's family, friends, and the entire running community."
Apa's death marks the first during the New York City Marathon since 2024. In 2007, Ryan Shay, a five-time U.S. national champion, died in Central Park during the Olympic marathon trials, which were held by the NYRR the day before that year's marathon.