#11 trendingRachel Apa
Rachel Apa's Father Shares Her Final Texts From the NYC Marathon as Questions About Rhabdomyolysis Grow
New details have emerged about the final hours of Rachel Apa, the 24-year-old Pennsylvania woman who collapsed in Central Park during Sunday’s New York City Marathon and died hours later. Her father, Steve Apa, shared the text messages the two traded during the race with NBC News, and her high school and university released statements mourning her.
Steve Apa said doctors told the family that his daughter died of rhabdomyolysis, a condition in which muscle tissue breaks down. The reports we reviewed do not cite an official ruling from a medical examiner, so that account comes from the family and the doctors who treated her.
Her texts during the race
Apa was running her first marathon. Her mother, Michelle, and two friends followed her around the five boroughs, while her father tracked her on the race app from home in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, NBC News reported. The exchange, as he described it:
- Around 11:30 a.m., at mile 9, she wrote “Hey, go,” a mantra the two had shared for years, then “I feel amazing… I’ve never felt this good.”
- He replied: “Great, don’t overdo it. First marathon. This is a learning run.”
- A few miles after her mother saw her at mile 14, she texted “Ugh,” then “Ow, ow.”
- At mile 20 she sent another “Ow, ow.” At mile 23 he wrote: “All finish, not speed.”
- Around 1:30 p.m., near mile 24, her location on the tracking app stopped moving. She never answered his next message.
Her mother, waiting near mile 25, went looking for her and was told by an EMS worker that an ambulance had just taken her daughter to Mount Sinai. New York Road Runners has said a bystander gave CPR before race medical staff used a defibrillator, NBC News reported.
Tributes from her schools
Apa grew up in Lewisberry and graduated from Red Land High School in 2020, WGAL reported. The West Shore School District said she “made a lasting impact on Red Land and the District as a whole.”
She went on to play field hockey at Bucknell University, scoring 17 goals in her college career, according to WGAL. Bucknell said its community “mourns her loss.” NBC News reported that she had recently moved to Charleston, South Carolina, to pursue an MBA while working full time remotely. She ran with the Parkinson’s Foundation in honor of her grandfather, who had the disease.
What doctors say about rhabdomyolysis
NBC News cited the Cleveland Clinic’s description of rhabdomyolysis as a serious condition in which overexertion causes muscles to break down, releasing “toxic components of your muscle fibers” into the bloodstream and kidneys.
A WellSpan nephrologist, Dr. Mohamed Somad, told WGAL that some muscle injury from exercise is common, but “it is rare to have the extent of muscle damage that can lead to organ failure and death, especially in an otherwise healthy person.” He called that level of damage “extremely rare.”
What is not known: the reports do not say what triggered the condition in Apa’s case or whether anything else contributed. Any official finding could add detail to the family’s account.
This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Anyone with concerns about symptoms during or after hard exercise should talk to a doctor.
FAQ
What did Rachel Apa die of?
Her father said doctors told the family she died of rhabdomyolysis. No official medical examiner ruling was cited in the reports we reviewed.
What is rhabdomyolysis?
A condition in which damaged muscle breaks down and releases its contents into the blood, which can harm the kidneys. Doctors say severe cases after exercise are very rare.
Where did she collapse?
Near mile 24 in Central Park, about two miles from the finish.
Who was Rachel Apa?
A 24-year-old from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, a former Bucknell field hockey player and MBA student running her first marathon for charity.
Earlier coverage: Rachel Apa, 24, Dies After Collapsing Near NYC Marathon Finish; Father Says Rhabdomyolysis (Nov 3)