A young Pennsylvania woman running the New York City Marathon for the first time to raise money for charity collapsed in Central Park, just over two miles from the finish line, and later died.
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woman → run → line
Rachel Apa, 24, of Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, was approaching the 24-mile mark of the 26.2 mile race Sunday when she collapsed, according to the New York Police Department.
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she → approach → Department
Her father said she'd been stricken with rhabdomyolysis, a rare condition in which muscles can break down during exertion, poisoning the body.
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muscles → say → body
It was her first marathon, Steve Apa told The New York Times.
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Apa → tell → Times
New York Road Runners, the nonprofit club that stages the race, said in a news release that CPR was administered to Apa by a bystander and later by event medical staff.
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CPR → stag → staff
A defibrillator was also used before paramedics took Apa to the Mount Sinai Medical Center.
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paramedics → use → Center
The former Division I field hockey player at Bucknell University was in critical condition when she was brought to the hospital, where doctors unsuccessfully tried to save her for several hours.
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doctors → bring → hours
Apa had run to raise money for Parkinson's disease in honor of her grandfather.
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Apa → run → grandfather
“It's unfathomable,” her father told The Times.
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father → tell → Times
He said his daughter, a product manager for an electrical component company who had just begun a master's program at Charleston Southern University, had been in “perfect health.”
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who → say → health
Michaela Nicholas was watching the race, cheering on any runners whose names she could read off their bibs, when Apa passed.
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Apa → watch → bibs
Nicholas recalled Tuesday that she called out a message of encouragement, then saw Apa collapse about 15 yards (meters) further along the route.
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Apa → recall → route
Nicholas, a hospital social worker, said she tried to comfort Apa while two other race spectators performed CPR.
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spectators → say → 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, a clinical social worker, said by phone.
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Nicholas → hold → phone
The death occurred as the marathon marked 50 years in its five-borough format.
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marathon → occur → format
Early editions of the race had been run only in Central Park.
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editions → run → Park
A record 61,000 runners reached the finish line.
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runners → reach → line
“We are deeply saddened by Rachel’s passing following running in Sunday’s race.
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We → sadden → race
Our thoughts and sincere sympathies are with her family, friends, and the entire running community,” New York Road Runners said in its statement.
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Runners → say → statement
As word of Apa's death spread on Tuesday, money poured into her “Parkinson's Champions” fundraising page, quickly exceeding her $4,000 goal.
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money → spread → goal
The fundraiser was sponsored by the Parkinson's Foundation.
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fundraiser → sponsor → Foundation
On the page, Apa said her grandfather, who had Parkinson's disease and died in 2022, “taught me to stay active, push my limits, and embrace challenges, shaping my love for sports and movement.”
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who → say → sports
Apa graduated in 2024 from Bucknell with a degree in markets, innovation and design -- and a total of 17 goals for the school’s field hockey team.
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Apa → graduate → team
The university expressed condolences Tuesday.
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university → express → condolences
In a Facebook post, USA Field Hockey, the sport's governing body, said it was deeply saddened by Apa's death.
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it → govern → death
“Rachel’s impact on the sport and those around her will not be forgotten,” the statement said.
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statement → forget → her
“Our thoughts are with everyone mourning this tragic loss.”
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thoughts → mourn → loss
Associated Press writer Doug Feinberg contributed to this report.
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Feinberg → contribute → report
The Aporia
