First-time NYC Marathon runner Rachel Apa, 24, of Pennsylvania, dies of rare condition during race: reports

A runner in the New York City Marathon died on Sunday after collapsing about 2 miles from the Central Park finish line, according to news reports.

The New York Times identified the runner as Rachel Apa, 24, after speaking with bystanders and Apa’s family.

In an email that did not identify Rachel Apa by name, an NYPD representative wrote: About 1:40 p.m. in the Central Park Precinct, "police officers assigned to the New York City Marathon observed a 24-year-old female experiencing a medical episode near mile marker 24. EMS [Emergency Medical Services] responded and transported the female to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition."

Apa’s father, Steve Apa, said his daughter died of rhabdomyolysis, a condition associated with strenuous activity in which muscle fibers break down and their toxic components enter the circulation system and kidneys, the Times reported. Rachel Apa, a former high school and NCAA Division I field hockey player from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, was running her first marathon. 

 New York Road Runners, which organizes the marathon, said in a statement: "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."

A bystander gave CPR to Apa before race medical staff took over and administered an Automated External Defibrillator, a representative for the organization wrote in an email. The device is used to help people in cardiac arrest. Medical staff called EMS and Apa was taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital, the representative wrote.  

EMS is a bureau of FDNY; a department representative said they could not give any patient information but confirmed in an email that "There was a runner around mile marker 24 who was in cardiac arrest. We treated and transported that runner in critical condition to an area hospital for further care."

About rhabdomyolysis

About 26,000 Americans develop rhabdomyolysis every year. It is not always catastrophic, but it can kick off a "cascade of events" in which damaged cells dump proteins into the bloodstream; the proteins inhibit kidney function. As a result, potassium builds to dangerous levels, which in turn can lead to heart arrhythmia and cardiac arrest, said Dr. Frederick Davis executive vice chair of Emergency Medicine at Northwell's Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park.

Heat, along with exertion, can contribute to rhabdomyolysis, Davis said. New York City temperatures Sunday were around 46 degrees when the race started at 8 a.m., but the temperature in Central Park was close to 58 degrees around the time Apa collapsed.

There are drug and insulin interventions to treat potassium buildup, but without knowing why Apa had collapsed, medical workers at the scene would likely have focused on getting her to a hospital, Davis said. 

Apa's LinkedIn page describes her as a product manager for TE Connectivity, an electrical components company, and a former Division I athlete at Bucknell University who pursued an MBA at Charleston Southern University. 

She was a forward on Bucknell's field hockey team, according to the team webpage. As a senior in 2023, she started all 17 games and was the team's second-highest scorer, with six goals. 

On LinkedIn and a page on the Parkinson's Foundation website, Apa said she was running the marathon to raise money for the foundation because she'd lost her grandfather to the disease. 

"My grandfather was one of my role models growing up," she wrote. "He taught me to stay active, push my limits, and embrace challenges. After he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, I watched as it slowly took away the freedom to move that he once loved."

By Nicholas Spangler

nicholas.spangler@newsday.comspanglernewsday

Nicholas Spangler is a general assignment reporter and has worked at Newsday since 2010.