Rachel Apa, who collapsed near the finish line of the New York City Marathon, died from a rare muscle disorder, her father said.
The 24-year-old former college field hockey player was pronounced dead at a New York hospital after collapsing in Central Park.
According to The New York Times, a hospital social worker ran to help Apa but could not find a pulse. Two physicians who were in the crowd also began performing CPR.
Apa was pronounced dead on Sunday night. Her father, Steve, said the cause was rhabdomyolysis, a condition that can be triggered by intense exercise without sufficient rest.
The rare disorder, which affects roughly 0.0076 percent of the US population each year, causes muscle tissue to break down. As a result, toxic components from muscle fibers can enter the kidneys and the body’s circulatory system.
‘It’s unfathomable,’ Steve Apa told The New York Times. ‘Perfect health, perfect shape, 24 years old.’
Rachel Apa died from a rare muscle condition after collapsing during the New York City Marathon
‘It’s unfathomable… perfect health, perfect shape, 24 years old,’ her father told The Times (Source: Instagram/rachelapa)
Marathon runners enter Central Park shortly before reaching Mile 24 of the course. Apa collapsed at about 1:30 p.m., according to The New York Times.
A hospital social worker and two physicians began treating her before medical staff from the marathon arrived with a defibrillator, race organizer New York Road Runners said in a statement.
Paramedics soon arrived in an ambulance and transported Apa to Mount Sinai Medical Center. Doctors tried to save her for six hours before she was pronounced dead at 9:40 p.m.
‘We are deeply saddened by the death of one of our runners following yesterday’s race,’ the Road Runners said. ‘Our thoughts and sincere sympathies are with the runner’s family, friends, and the entire running community.’
The Bucknell University graduate had spent months preparing for Sunday’s marathon, running to raise money for the Parkinson’s Foundation Champions in memory of her grandfather.
‘I watched as the disease slowly took away the freedom to move that he once loved so much,’ she wrote on a fundraising page. ‘He passed away in 2022, but the lessons he taught me continue to drive me forward.’
Rachel’s mother, Michelle, filmed her smiling at Mile 14. The young runner was also messaging her father, Steve, in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, where he sent her words of encouragement, according to The New York Times.
Steve received a brief reply from his daughter at Mile 18. ‘Ow,’ she wrote, followed by ‘Ow ow’ a mile later. At Mile 23, he told her she had reached the ‘final stretch,’ but she did not respond.
Michelle was waiting for Rachel at Mile 25 when she noticed on the marathon tracking app that her daughter was still farther back in Central Park.
Runners pass through Central Park during the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon
Michelle reached the scene as an ambulance was taking Rachel to the hospital and followed shortly afterward in another ambulance.
After Rachel’s death, the NYRR confirmed that she was the first runner to die during the New York City Marathon since 2024. In 2007, five-time US national champion Ryan Shay died in Central Park during the Olympic marathon trials, which the NYRR hosted the day before that year’s New York City Marathon.
Rachel worked as a product manager for an electrical component company while studying for an MBA at Charleston Southern University.
‘My grandfather was my role model growing up,’ Rachel 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. He passed away in 2022, but the lessons he taught me continue to drive me forward.’
‘I’m proud to run with Parkinson’s Foundation Champions to raise funds and awareness for research, better care, and a cure.’
