Marathon Runner Rachel Apa Dead After Collapsing Before Finish Line

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A young woman’s race through life has been tragically cut short. 

Rachel Apa, a former Division I athlete, died Nov. 1 from rhabdomyolysis while attempting to finish the New York City Marathon. She was 24. 

Apa—who played field hockey at Bucknell University—collapsed in Central Park, just two miles from the race’s finish line. During the race, Apa’s mother Michelle Apa took a video of her daughter looking strong and happy passing her during the mile 14 mark. 

At mile 18, Apa texted her father Steve Apa, “Ow,” before sending another a mile later, “Ow, ow.”

By mile 24, nearby spectator Michaela Nicholas gave Apa a cheer of encouragement, she told the New York Times in an interview published Nov. 2, before witnessing the project manager’s collapse. 

Nicholas ran over, along with three other spectators to attempt to administer CPR. Apa was later shuttled to a nearby hospital and administered attempted life-saving treatment for six hours before she was pronounced dead. 

“It’s unfathomable,” Apa’s father told the New York Times, “Perfect health, perfect shape. 24 years old.”

The injury that led to Apa’s death, rhabdomyolysis—also referred to as rhabado—is a rare life-threatening condition that causes the breakdown of muscles, leading proteins to enter the bloodstream and harm the organs. It can be caused after excessive exercise without rest, according to Cleveland Clinic, and affects just 26,000 people each year. 

In a statement, the New York Road Runners, the organization that puts on the New York Marathon, addressed Apa’s death, saying, “We are deeply saddened by the death of one of our runners following yesterday’s race.”

Apa had just begun an M.B.A program at Charleston Southern University. She had raised money to sponsor what was to be her first-ever marathon with Parkinson’s Champions team in memory of her grandfather, who died from the disease in 2022. 

Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images/Rachel Apa/Instagram

“My grandfather was my role model growing up,” Apa wrote in her fundraising biography. “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.”

Apa—whose fundraiser has raised over $16,000 for Parkinson’s research—wrote, “The lessons he taught me continue to drive me forward.”

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