24-Year-Old Runner Dies After Collapsing During First New York City Marathon
Collapse Near The Finish
Apa collapsed about two miles from the finish line at around 1:30 p.m. Spectators rushed to assist her, and two doctors performed CPR before an ambulance took her to Mount Sinai Medical Center.
She was pronounced dead at about 9:40 p.m., her father told The Times. He said she had developed rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which damaged muscles release substances that can poison the body.
A Runner With Many Plans
Apa was a Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, native and had been preparing for the marathon for months. She graduated magna cum laude in May 2024 and worked as a product manager at electrical component company TE Connectivity.
She had also started an M.B.A. program at Charleston Southern University. In a LinkedIn post earlier this year, Apa wrote about her grandfather’s influence and his Parkinson’s disease, saying it had reduced his ability to move freely.
Marathon Deaths And Response
Apa’s death is the first death tied to the New York City Marathon since 2024. The earlier case involved an unidentified 24-year-old man who fell from a Brooklyn apartment window while trying to watch the race, according to the New York Daily News.
An Emory School of Medicine study published in 2025 estimated that about one in 500,000 marathon runners dies from a cardiac event. A spokesperson offered condolences to Apa’s family, friends and the running community, The Times reported.
Key points
- Rachel Apa, 24, died after collapsing about two miles from the marathon finish.
- Her father said she had rhabdomyolysis, a rare condition associated with exertion.
- Apa worked at TE Connectivity and had begun an M.B.A. program.
- The previous death tied to the marathon, in 2024, was a spectator.