New York City Marathon dream ends in tragedy for 24-year-old charity runner

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.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. The city medical examiner's office said Tuesday it was investigating the cause of Apa's death.Her father told The New York Times that she'd been stricken with rhabdomyolysis, a rare condition in which muscles can break down during exertion, poisoning the body. It was her first marathon, Steve Apa said.New York Road Runners, the nonprofit club that stages the race, said in a news release that a bystander administered CPR to Apa, and event medical staffers also did CPR and used a defibrillator. Paramedics arrived and took Apa to a hospital but were unable to save her.RELATED STORY | 2026 NYC Marathon medal honors the course that c