Rachel Apa, a 24-year-old first-time marathoner, died after collapsing in Central Park roughly two miles from the New York City Marathon finish line — a tragedy that has prompted both grief and caution over what caused it.

Accounts across the reports agree on the sequence: Apa, a former Division I field hockey player from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, had trained for months and was running to raise money for Parkinson’s disease research in memory of her grandfather. She collapsed near Mile 24, received CPR and treatment from race medical personnel, and was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where she died Sunday night.¹

The central distinction is between the family’s account and the still-pending official determination. Apa’s father, Steve, told the New York Times that she died from rhabdomyolysis, a condition involving muscle breakdown that can occur after severe exertion. He described the loss as “unfathomable,” adding that his daughter had been in “perfect health, perfect shape.”² Medical coverage cited in right-leaning outlets stresses that the condition can release substances into the bloodstream that may damage the kidneys and disrupt heart rhythms, but also notes that it is often treatable when identified early.²

More cautious reporting notes that the New York City medical examiner’s office was still investigating Apa’s cause of death, meaning the father’s explanation had not yet been formally confirmed by authorities.¹ That reporting also records possible signs of distress during the race: Apa texted her father “Ow” around Mile 18 and “Ow ow” a mile later.³

New York Road Runners said it was “deeply saddened” by the death and extended sympathies to Apa’s family, friends and the running community.³ Apa’s fundraising page described her grandfather as the person who taught her to “stay active, push my limits, and embrace challenges,” before Parkinson’s disease reduced his mobility.¹