Rachel Apa, a 24-year-old charity runner from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, died Sunday after collapsing in Central Park just over two miles from the finish line of the New York City Marathon, according to the New York Police Department and Scripps News. The city medical examiner’s office said Tuesday it was still investigating the cause of Apa’s death, leaving the running community to mourn a loss that unfolded against the backdrop of a record-setting celebration.
Her death marked a devastating counterpoint to a historic milestone: the 2026 marathon was the 50th running of the race in its five-borough format, and a record 61,000 runners reached the finish line. Apa, running her first marathon, never made it there.
A First Marathon Run for Her Grandfather
Apa was raising money for Parkinson’s disease research in honor of her grandfather, who had the disease and died in 2022. On her “Parkinson’s Champions” fundraising page sponsored by the Parkinson’s Foundation, she wrote that her grandfather “taught me to stay active, push my limits, and embrace challenges, shaping my love for sports and movement.”
She worked as an industrial-technology product manager at TE Connectivity, which makes electrical components and electronics, and had just begun a master’s program at Charleston Southern University. Her father, Steve Apa, told The New York Times that his daughter had been in “perfect health” and called her death “unfathomable.”
Steve Apa told the Times that Rachel had been stricken with rhabdomyolysis, a rare condition in which muscles break down during exertion and poison the body. A news report said she began complaining of severe pain during Mile 18 of the run before her collapse.
Collapse Near Mile 24
Apa collapsed approaching the 24-mile mark in Central Park on Sunday, roughly two miles from the finish line. Michaela Nicholas, a hospital social worker who was watching the race and cheering on runners whose names she could read from their bibs, told Scripps News she called out encouragement as Apa passed, then saw her collapse about 15 yards further along the route.
Nicholas, a clinical social worker, said she tried to comfort Apa while two other race spectators performed CPR.
“I just held Rachel’s hand and talked to her and told her that she wasn’t alone and that she’s loved, and I prayed for her,” Nicholas said by phone.
New York Road Runners, the nonprofit club that stages the race, said in a news release that a bystander administered CPR, event medical staff also performed CPR and used a defibrillator, and paramedics arrived and took Apa to a hospital, but were unable to save her.
Fifty Years of the Five-Borough Course
Early editions of the New York City Marathon had been run only in Central Park, and this year marked 50 years of the race’s five-borough format. More than 60,000 competitors paced the city’s streets, with 61,000 reaching the finish line. Apa’s collapse came as she neared the end of a course that has defined endurance running worldwide.
New York Road Runners 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.”
Donations Surge Past $8,700
As word of Apa’s death spread Tuesday, money poured into her Parkinson’s Champions fundraising page, quickly exceeding her $4,000 goal and ultimately raising over $8,700 for the Parkinson’s Foundation, according to a news report.
Apa graduated from Bucknell University in 2024 with a degree in markets, innovation and design, and scored a total of 17 goals for the school’s field hockey team. Bucknell expressed condolences, as did TE Connectivity. USA Field Hockey, the sport’s governing body, said on social media that “Rachel’s impact on the sport and those around her will not be forgotten.”
What Remains Under Investigation
The city medical examiner’s office said Tuesday it was investigating the cause of Apa’s death. Until that determination is made, the full circumstances of her collapse remain officially unresolved, even as those who knew her describe a young woman in perfect health who died pursuing a cause close to her heart.
The medical examiner’s final determination of the cause of death is the next milestone in the investigation.
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