Just two miles short of the finish line of the 2026 New York City Marathon on Nov. 1, 24-year-old runner Rachel Apa collapsed. She died of a rare and potentially life-threatening illness that can be brought on by excessive exertion, the New York Times reported.
It's called rhabdomyolysis, and while there are relatively few cases nationwide each year, it can strike during endurance or intensive exercise, including marathons.
Apa was running her first marathon to raise money for Parkinson's disease in honor of her late grandfather, according to the New York Times. But Apa was no stranger to athletics, having played Division I field hockey in college. Her family said Apa had been in "perfect health." Plus, she'd been training for the race for months.
But at mile 18, Apa texted her father, Steve, who'd been checking in at each mile: "Ow." At the end of the next mile, she wrote, "Ow ow." She stopped responding after that. Apa's mother, Michelle, was at the race and had watched her daughter run by earlier on. Her parents noticed on the marathon tracking app that Apa stopped moving after mile 24.
Apa collapsed just after running past hospital social worker Michaela Nichols, who was cheering on participants. Nichols ran over and checked Apa's pulse, but couldn't find one. Three other people — two of whom said they were physicians — ran over to give Apa CPR. Marathon medical staff tried to revive her with a defibrillator before an ambulance arrived. She was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center and treated for six hours, but could not be saved.
#year #collapsed
It's called rhabdomyolysis, and while there are relatively few cases nationwide each year, it can strike during endurance or intensive exercise, including marathons.
Apa was running her first marathon to raise money for Parkinson's disease in honor of her late grandfather, according to the New York Times. But Apa was no stranger to athletics, having played Division I field hockey in college. Her family said Apa had been in "perfect health." Plus, she'd been training for the race for months.
But at mile 18, Apa texted her father, Steve, who'd been checking in at each mile: "Ow." At the end of the next mile, she wrote, "Ow ow." She stopped responding after that. Apa's mother, Michelle, was at the race and had watched her daughter run by earlier on. Her parents noticed on the marathon tracking app that Apa stopped moving after mile 24.
Apa collapsed just after running past hospital social worker Michaela Nichols, who was cheering on participants. Nichols ran over and checked Apa's pulse, but couldn't find one. Three other people — two of whom said they were physicians — ran over to give Apa CPR. Marathon medical staff tried to revive her with a defibrillator before an ambulance arrived. She was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center and treated for six hours, but could not be saved.
#year #collapsed
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