24-Year-Old Runner Dies Near NYC Marathon Finish

Rachel Apa, a 24-year-old former Bucknell field hockey player from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, died after collapsing about two miles from the finish of her first New York City Marathon. Her family believes she died from rhabdomyolysis, a potentially fatal muscle-breakdown condition that can follow intense exertion, but the medical examiner said further testing was needed to determine the cause. Apa texted her father that she was in pain around miles 18 and 19 and stopped responding after he sent an encouraging message near mile 23. A bystander and race medical staff tried to revive her with CPR and a defibrillator before she was taken to Mount Sinai, where she was pronounced dead. She ran with the Parkinson’s Champions team in memory of her grandfather and had recently begun an MBA program.