Rachel Apa Dies After Collapsing Near NYC Marathon Finish

Rachel Apa, a 24-year-old runner competing in her first New York City Marathon, died after collapsing near the finish on November 1, the race organizer said. She was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center, where medical staff continued efforts to save her, according to her father and the organizer. Apa collapsed in Central Park about two miles from the finish, near mile 24. New York Road Runners said a bystander began CPR before race medical staff continued treatment and used an automated external defibrillator. Emergency medical services then transported her to Mount Sinai. Her father, Steve Apa, said she died at 9:40 p.m. The New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner had performed an autopsy, but a representative said the cause and manner of death were pending further study. Steve Apa identified rhabdomyolysis as the cause of his daughter’s death. That account has not been presented as the medical examiner’s final determination, and the circumstances that triggered the condition have not been established in the reporting. Steve Apa said he followed his daughter’s progress through a marathon tracking app and received messages from her at miles 18 and 19. She texted “Ow” and...