NEW YORK — A young Pennsylvania woman running the New York City Marathon for the first time to raise money for charity collapsed in Central Park, just over two miles from the finish line, and later died.
Rachel Apa, 24, of Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, was approaching the 24-mile mark of the 26.2 mile race Sunday when she collapsed, according to the New York Police Department.
Her father said she'd been stricken with rhabdomyolysis, a rare condition in which muscles can break down during exertion, poisoning the body. It was her first marathon, Steve Apa told The New York Times.
New York Road Runners, the nonprofit club that stages the race, said in a news release that CPR was administered to Apa by a bystander and later by event medical staff. A defibrillator was also used before paramedics took Apa to the Mount Sinai Medical Center.
The former Division I field hockey player at Bucknell University was in critical condition when she was brought to the hospital, where doctors unsuccessfully tried to save her for several hours.
Apa had run to raise money for Parkinson's disease in honor of her grandfather.
“It's unfathomable,” her father told The Times. He said his daughter, a product manager for an electrical component company who had just begun a master's program at Charleston Southern University, had been in “perfect health.”
Michaela Nicholas was watching the race, cheering on any runners whose names she could read off their bibs, when Apa passed. Nicholas recalled Tuesday that she called out a message of encouragement, then saw Apa collapse about 15 yards (meters) further along the route.
Nicholas, a hospital social worker, said she tried to comfort Apa while two other race spectators performed CPR.
“I just held Rachel’s hand and talked to her and told her that she wasn’t alone and that she’s loved, and I prayed for her,” Nicholas, a clinical social worker, said by phone.
The death occurred as the marathon marked 50 years in its five-borough format. Early editions of the race had been run only in Central Park. A record 61,000 runners reached the finish line.
“We are deeply saddened by Rachel’s passing following running in Sunday’s race. Our thoughts and sincere sympathies are with her family, friends, and the entire running community,” New York Road Runners said in its statement.
As word of Apa's death spread on Tuesday, money poured into her "Parkinson's Champions" fundraising page, quickly exceeding her $4,000 goal. The fundraiser was sponsored by the Parkinson's Foundation.
On the page, Apa said her grandfather, who had Parkinson's disease and died in 2022, “taught me to stay active, push my limits, and embrace challenges, shaping my love for sports and movement.”
Apa graduated in 2024 from Bucknell with a degree in markets, innovation and design -- and a total of 17 goals for the school’s field hockey team. The university expressed condolences Tuesday.
In a Facebook post, USA Field Hockey, the sport's governing body, said it was deeply saddened by Apa's death.
“Rachel’s impact on the sport and those around her will not be forgotten,” the statement said. “Our thoughts are with everyone mourning this tragic loss.”
___
Associated Press writer Doug Feinberg contributed to this report.
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
