Runner, 24, who texted her father 'Ow ow' died of a rare muscle condition near the New York Marathon finish
Rachel Apa had been running to raise money for the Parkinson's Foundation in honour of her grandfather, who died of the disease in 2022.
Rachel Apa, a 24-year-old former Division I field hockey player from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, collapsed at mile 24 of Sunday's New York City Marathon and was pronounced dead that evening at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Her father Steve confirmed she had rhabdomyolysis, a rare condition in which severely overworked muscles break down and release toxins into the bloodstream, overwhelming the kidneys. She had been running her first marathon to raise money for the Parkinson's Foundation in honour of her grandfather.
Just hours before she collapsed, Rachel texted her dad: 'I feel amazing — I've never felt this good.'
Doctors warn rhabdomyolysis affects around 26,000 Americans a year, with early symptoms — dark urine, swelling, weakness — that athletes can easily mistake for ordinary fatigue.
Bucknell University remembered Apa as a key contributor who scored 17 goals in college hockey and graduated magna cum laude in 2024.
