Former college athlete Rachel Apa collapsed and died just two miles before finishing her first New York City Marathon. She was raising funds for Parkinson’s research in honour of her late grandfather when she suffered fatal rhabdomyolysis.
The New York Marathon was overshadowed by the tragic death of former college athlete Rachel Apa, who was participating n her first marathon to raise funds for Parkinson’s research in memory of her late grandfather on Sunday, November 1.
The 24-year-old former Bucknell University Division I field hockey player was among the 61,146 runners participating in the event. However, Rachel could not finish the marathon as she reportedly collapsed just a few miles away from the finish line in Central Park near 85th Street, just two miles short of completing the 26.2-mile course.
Despite her mother, Michelle Apa, filming her smiling and high-fiving at Mile 14 in a light green outfit, Rachel began reporting severe muscle pain via text to her father back in Pennsylvania before she collapsed in Central Park near 85th Street.
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Rachel’s Father Reveals Final Texts from Her
Rachel Apa’s father, Steve Apa, revealed that she suffered from rhabdomyolysis, a severe medical condition caused by rapid muscle tissue breakdown under extreme physical exertion. However, before her tragic death, the marathoner was in constant contact with her father, who was watching the event back home in Pennsylvania.
According to the report by NBC, the first text sent by Rachel to her father was ‘so excited’ for the text, before sending ‘Hey, go,’ when she was nearing the nine-mile mark in her debut marathon. The latter text was reportedly a mantra that father and daughter shared over the years, with the phrase also referencing Steve’s days playing football at Lehigh University.
However, at 18 miles, Rachel texted ‘Ow’ and subsequently sent ‘Ow, ow’ while crossing mile 19, as muscle pain significantly worsened. Her father, Steve, reportedly urged her to take it easy and reminded her to complete the race rather than focusing on speed, by texting ‘All finish, not speed,” when she was at Mile 24. Steve even encouraged her daughter ‘not to overdo’ it, adding that ‘This is a learning run.’
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Things took a worrying turn when Steve noticed that Rachel’s location had stopped moving on the marathon tracking app around 1:30 p.m. Steve Apa sent her a text message when he was at mile 24, but received no response from her. He immediately alerted Michelle, who was waiting at mile 24 alongside Rachel’s friends, and asked her to check on their daughter.
Later, it was discovered that Rachel had collapsed near the Mile 24 marker in Central Park, where a bystander reportedly began administering CPR before the marathon’s medical staff took over. She was transported to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition, but the 24-year-old was pronounced dead reportedly at 9:40 pm on Sunday.
Rachel Apa’s LinkedIn Post On Her Grandfather
As Rachel Apa’s tragic death during the NYC Marathon left her family and friends devastated, her final LinkedIn post has resurfaced, shedding deeply emotional context on why she chose to run the 26.2-mile course.
In her post, Rachel called her late grandfather one of her ‘role models’ while growing up and revealed he was battling Parkinson’s disease for years before his passing in 2022. She wrote that honouring his memory and supporting research to help others fighting the condition drove her to take on the marathon challenge.
“This November 1st, I’ll be running the NYC Marathon as a charity runner with the Parkinson’s Foundation. I’ll be raising money that goes toward critical research, better care, and hopefully one day, a cure,” late Rachel wrote.
“Choosing a foundation that means something to me was important. My grandfather was one of my role models growing up. 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,” she added.
Rachel Apa graduated from Bucknell University with a degree in Markets, Innovation, and Design before obtaining an MBA from Charleston Southern University. At the time of her sudden demise, Rachel was working as a product manager at TE Connectivity, where he joined as a Product Management intern in December 2023.
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