NYC Marathon runner, 24, dies after collapsing 2 miles from finish
Rachel Apa, 24, of Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, collapsed near the 24-mile mark of her first New York City Marathon on Sunday and later died. She was running to raise money for Parkinson's disease research in honor of her grandfather.
A 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman who collapsed while running her first New York City Marathon on Sunday has died, race organizers confirmed.
Rachel Apa of Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, was approaching the 24-mile mark of the 26.2-mile course when she collapsed. Her father said she had been stricken with rhabdomyolysis. New York Road Runners, the nonprofit that stages the race, said CPR was administered, and Apa was in critical condition before she died.
Apa was running to raise money for Parkinson's disease research in honor of her grandfather. The former Division I field hockey player at Bucknell University, where she graduated in 2024, was collecting donations through a "Parkinson's Champions" fundraising page that drew a flood of support after word of her death spread on Tuesday.
"It's unfathomable," her father told The New York Times.
One spectator, Michaela Nicholas, a hospital social worker watching from the sidelines, said she held Apa's hand while two others tried to help, telling her she was not alone and that she was loved.
USA Field Hockey, the sport's governing body, said it was deeply saddened by the news. "Rachel's impact on the sport and those around her will not be forgotten," the organization said in a statement.
The tragedy came as the marathon marked 50 years in its five-borough format.
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