Rachel Apa, 24, a former Bucknell University field hockey player, died after collapsing during her first New York City Marathon on Sunday, November 1. Apa was running through Central Park near the end of the race. She had entered to raise money for the Parkinson’s Foundation in memory of her grandfather. The New York Times’ reporting · The Express Gazette’s account
Archive photo of elite women running in the 2024 New York City Marathon. Nrbelex via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped.
What happened to Rachel Apa at the NYC Marathon?
Apa collapsed near mile 24 of the 26.2-mile course. Two doctors who were watching the race began CPR, and race medical staff arrived with a defibrillator, according to accounts citing witnesses and organizer New York Road Runners. Paramedics took her to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she died Sunday evening. New York Road Runners confirmed a participant’s death and offered condolences to her family and friends. The New York Times’ account · International Business Times’ coverage of the organizer’s statement
Apa’s father, Steve, told The New York Times that the cause was rhabdomyolysis, a breakdown of muscle tissue. That account comes from her family. The race organizer’s public statement, as reported, did not give a cause. The New York Times’ interview with Apa’s father
A Bucknell forward who ran in her grandfather’s memory
Apa grew up in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, and played field hockey and lacrosse at Red Land High School. At Bucknell she became a regular on the forward line. As a freshman, she scored both the tying and winning goals in a 3–2 victory over Lafayette, earning two Patriot League weekly awards. In her senior season she started all 16 games and made the league’s all-academic team while studying markets, innovation and design. Bucknell Athletics’ 2021 report · Bucknell’s senior-season account
Her marathon had a personal purpose. Apa’s grandfather died in 2022 after living with Parkinson’s disease. In her fundraising message, she credited him with encouraging her to stay active and explained that she wanted to support research and better care for people with the disease. Reporting on Apa’s fundraiser
