Rachel Apa, a 24-year-old former Bucknell field hockey player, died after collapsing in Central Park during the New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1. Her father said doctors attributed her death to rhabdomyolysis. She was running her first marathon in memory of her grandfather.
Rachel Apa, a 24-year-old runner competing in her first New York City Marathon, died after collapsing in Central Park on Sunday, November 1, with approximately two miles remaining in the 26.2-mile race. The marathon attracted 61,146 participants. New York Road Runners said Apa was the first participant to die during the marathon since 2024.
Help at the scene
Hospital social worker Michaela Nicholas, a spectator, ran over with her fiancee after Apa collapsed, and CPR was given at the scene. Nicholas reportedly could not find a pulse, and two physicians in the crowd took turns performing CPR. Marathon medical staff then arrived with a defibrillator, followed by paramedics and an ambulance. Apa was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where doctors spent six hours trying to save her, according to her father, Steve Apa. She was pronounced dead at 9:40 p.m.
Cause of death and her final messages
Steve Apa told The New York Times that his daughter died from rhabdomyolysis, a serious condition involving the rapid breakdown of muscle tissue. The condition releases harmful substances into the bloodstream, according to the description of what doctors attributed her death to. The Cleveland Clinic says around 26,000 people develop rhabdomyolysis in the US every year. Her father said she had been in excellent health and physical condition before the race, and said she had trained for months. During the race, Apa sent her father short text messages at mile 18 and again at mile 19. She did not answer his encouraging text, sent when the tracking app showed she had reached mile 23.
Who she was
Apa was a former field hockey player at Pennsylvania's Bucknell University. She ran with the Parkinson's Champions team to raise money and honor her grandfather, who died from Parkinson's disease in 2022. She was supporting the Parkinson's Foundation Champions program. Apa worked as a product manager for an electrical components company and had recently started an M.B.A. program at Charleston Southern University.
