A 24-year-old runner texted her dad ‘ow ow’ at mile 19 of her first NYC Marathon before collapsing two miles from the finish line and dying

A 24-year-old woman running her first marathon has died after collapsing in Central Park around mile 24 of the New York City Marathon, roughly two miles from the finish line. Rachel Apa, a former Division I field hockey player at Bucknell University, was running to raise money for the Parkinson’s Foundation in honor of her grandfather, who died of Parkinson’s disease in 2022.

Her father, Steve Apa, followed her progress from the family’s home in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, and sent encouraging messages as she ran, according to BroBible. The texts she sent back hinted that something was wrong. At mile 18, Rachel Apa wrote “Ow,” and at mile 19, she sent “Ow ow.” Her father later texted her “Final stretch” at mile 23.

The young runner never answered that last message. A hospital social worker who was watching the race found that she had no pulse, and two doctors who were also nearby performed CPR until official medical personnel arrived with a defibrillator. Apa was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where doctors worked on her for about six hours before she was pronounced dead at 9:40 p.m.

Her father says doctors pointed to a rare muscle condition

Steve Apa says doctors attributed his daughter’s death to rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which damaged muscle tissue breaks down and releases substances into the bloodstream. However, an official medical examiner’s determination has not been publicly released. The father called the death “unfathomable,” noting that his daughter was 24 years old and in perfect health and perfect shape before the race.

Her mother, Michelle, had filmed Rachel Apa smiling as she passed the 14-mile mark in Queens earlier in the day. Later, Michelle noticed on the marathon tracking app that her daughter’s location had stopped moving. She rushed to Central Park and arrived as paramedics were loading the runner into an ambulance, as the medical response near mile 24 was already underway.

The New York City Marathon was held on Sunday, and this was Apa’s first time running the full 26.2 miles. Her collapse came well after the halfway point, as her texts at miles 18 and 19 suggest she was already in pain for several miles before she went down near the end of the course in Central Park.

Rhabdomyolysis can be linked to extreme physical exertion, which is why it is sometimes discussed in connection with endurance events like marathons. However, the family has not shared further medical details beyond what doctors told them. Late-race collapses have drawn attention in other events as well, including one where a father of four collapsed near the finish of his first half marathon.

When muscle tissue breaks down in rhabdomyolysis, a protein called myoglobin is released into the blood, and it can damage the kidneys. The condition can range from mild to life-threatening, and it is treated in the hospital with fluids and close monitoring. Doctors have not publicly explained why Apa’s case became fatal, and her family has only shared what they were told.

For the Apa family, the race was meant to honor a grandfather who died of Parkinson’s, and Rachel had trained for it as her first marathon. Her fundraising run for the Parkinson’s Foundation had been a way to carry that memory with her across all five boroughs of New York.

The medical examiner’s findings, once released, could show whether rhabdomyolysis was the cause of death that doctors told the family it was.