04.11.2026 00:50
Rachel Apa, 24, who was participating in the New York Marathon held in the US for the first time, collapsed in Central Park about 3 kilometers before the finish line. The young woman, who had prepared for the race for months and was a former college athlete, could not be saved despite hours of intervention at the hospital. Her father, who had been texting with his daughter throughout the race, not receiving replies to his last messages revealed the details of the tragedy.
The marathon held in New York City, US, ended with the death of a young athlete. Rachel Apa, 24, who was running her first marathon, collapsed after becoming ill about 3 kilometers from the finish line during the New York Marathon held on Sunday, November 1.
After the incident at the 24th mile of the race (about the 38.6th kilometer) in Central Park, bystanders rushed to help the young woman. A witness and race spectators began CPR before medical teams arrived. Medical personnel from the New York Road Runners organization also took over the intervention, continued CPR, and used an automated external defibrillator.
Apa was taken by ambulance to Mount Sinai Hospital. Despite doctors' hours-long intervention, the young athlete died at 21:40 the same day.
SHE BECAME ILL WHILE MESSAGING WITH HER FATHER
It was learned that Rachel Apa was messaging her father, Steve Apa, who was following her from their home in Pennsylvania throughout the race. Father Apa was tracking his daughter's progress through the marathon tracking app while also trying to encourage her.
Receiving good news from his daughter in the first part of the race, the father reported that Apa wrote to him around the 9th mile that she felt very good and had never felt so good.
However, as the kilometers progressed, the content of the messages changed. Apa informed her father that she was in pain with expressions first meaning 'Ugh,' then 'Ah, ah.' Her father told her to slow down and not push herself.
Steve Apa continued sending messages to his daughter in the sections after the 20th kilometer. However, around the 24th mile, he noticed that the young woman's location was not advancing in the app. Although he tried to reach his daughter, he received no response.
Her mother, Michelle Apa, who was in New York, also became worried when she could not see her daughter at the point where she was waiting. She learned from a medical worker that her daughter had been taken to the hospital by ambulance.
CAUSE OF DEATH DECLARED AS RHABDOMYOLYSIS
Rachel Apa's father said that doctors declared his daughter's cause of death as rhabdomyolysis.
Rhabdomyolysis is known as a serious health problem that occurs when muscle tissue is damaged and breaks down and substances inside muscle cells enter the bloodstream. This condition, which can develop especially after extreme physical exertion and muscle damage, can lead to kidney damage and life-threatening complications.
However, the New York Office of the Chief Medical Examiner reported that the investigation into the cause of death is ongoing. For this reason, the information about rhabdomyolysis at this stage is based on the explanation the family received from doctors.
SHE WAS RUNNING HER FIRST MARATHON FOR HER GRANDFATHER
Rachel Apa, who played collegiate field hockey at Bucknell University for four years, graduated from the business department in 2024. The young athlete, who later began working as a product manager, was also continuing her master's education.
Apa, who participated in her first New York Marathon, for which she had prepared for months, as part of the Parkinson's Foundation's fundraising campaign, had dedicated her run to her grandfather, who died of Parkinson's disease in 2022.
On the fundraising campaign page, Apa stated that her grandfather had been a role model for her in her childhood, and wrote that he taught her to stay active, push her limits, and face new challenges. The young athlete expressed that she had witnessed her grandfather lose his freedom of movement due to the disease and that she wanted to raise funds to support Parkinson's research.
New York Road Runners, the organizer of the New York Marathon, conveyed its condolences to Apa's family, friends, and the running community in a statement after her death.