Rachel Apa, the 24-year-old runner who collapsed near the finish line of the New York City Marathon, died from a rare muscle disorder, her father said.
The former college field hockey player was pronounced dead at a New York hospital after collapsing in Central Park.
As reported by The New York Times, a hospital social worker rushed to help Apa but could not find a pulse. Two physicians in the crowd also began performing CPR.
She was pronounced dead on Sunday night. Her father, Steve, said the cause was rhabdomyolysis, a condition that can be triggered by intense exercise without adequate rest.
The rare disorder, which affects around 0.0076 percent of the US population each year, causes muscle tissue to break down. It can release “toxic components of your muscle fibers” into 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, who collapsed during the New York City Marathon, died from a rare muscle condition
“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 Mile 24. Apa collapsed at about 1:30 p.m., according to The New York Times.
After the hospital social worker and the two physicians began treating her, medical personnel from the marathon arrived with a defibrillator, race organizer New York Road Runners said.
Paramedics soon arrived in an ambulance and transported Apa to Mount Sinai Medical Center. Doctors there spent six hours trying to save her 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 in a statement. “Our thoughts and sincere sympathies are with the runner’s family, friends, and the entire running community.”
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The Bucknell University graduate had spent months preparing for Sunday’s marathon, which she ran to raise money for 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, recorded video of her smiling at Mile 14. The runner was also exchanging messages with her father, Steve, who was in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, texting encouragement as she competed, according to The New York Times.
Steve received a short reply from his daughter at Mile 18. “Ow,” she wrote, followed by “Ow ow” a mile later. At Mile 23, he told Rachel she had reached the “final stretch,” but he never received another response.
Michelle was waiting for Rachel at Mile 25 when she saw on the marathon tracking app that her daughter was still some distance behind in Central Park.
Runners make their way through Central Park during the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon
Michelle reached the scene as the ambulance was taking Rachel to the hospital and followed soon 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, Ryan Shay, a five-time US national champion, died in Central Park during the Olympic marathon trials, which the NYRR held one day before that year’s New York City Marathon.
Rachel worked as a product manager for an electrical component company and was pursuing 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.”