New York Marathon ends in tragic death

On Sunday, the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon began as hundreds of thousands of runners and spectators came to showcase their talent, support selected nonprofit organizations, or just celebrate the annual event. The marathon took place throughout the five boroughs of New York, as runners gave their best to cover the 26.2-mile course. More than 61,000 runners participated after training for months to adapt to the long-distance rigors of NYC terrain, but tragedy struck as one runner lost her life during the event.

Rachel Apa, 24, of Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, was a former Division I field hockey player at Bucknell University who ran on Sunday to fight Parkinson’s disease, which had killed her grandfather. Apa appeared to be in perfect health and trained for months before her first marathon, but near the 24th mile, she collapsed unexpectedly.

Apa’s mother, Michelle Apa, attended the marathon and recorded a video of her daughter at Mile 14, all smiles as she high-fived toward the camera, unaware that it was the last time she would see her alive. Her father, Steve Apa, tracked her from their Lewisberry home via an app and texted words of encouragement every mile until the 23rd, when he texted his daughter, “Final stretch,” but never heard back.

Around Mile 24 in Central Park, Apa passed spectator Michaela Nicholas. “Let’s go, Rachel, you got this!” Nicholas yelled seconds before Apa collapsed close to 85th Street. Nicholas rushed to her aid as her fiancée yelled for medical assistance. Two people who said they were physicians helped perform CPR on Apa before the marathon’s medical staff arrived and used a defibrillator on the fallen runner. Apa was transported to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where doctors attempted to save her life for more than six hours but were not successful.

According to Apa’s father, the cause of death was rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which muscle tissue breaks down during exertion and can poison the body.

“It’s unfathomable,” Steve Apa told The New York Times. “Perfect health, perfect shape, 24 years old.”

During rhabdomyolysis, muscle breakdown releases proteins and electrolytes into the bloodstream that can harm organs, strain the cardiovascular system, and damage the kidneys. The condition is most often seen in athletes and others doing intense physical exertion, and it is treatable, but it can be fatal if not treated promptly. Dr. Bradley Uren, an emergency medicine physician at University of Michigan Health, told The New York Times that in Apa’s case, “that worst case scenario happened just very, very quickly.”

The New York Road Runners, which organizes the marathon, commented on the tragic news Monday.

“We are deeply saddened by the death of one of our runners following yesterday’s race,” the New York Road Runners said in a statement, via The New York Times.

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