A 24-year-old woman collapsed and died during the final stages of Sunday's New York City Marathon, her father confirmed. Rachel Apa was in Central Park, just two miles from the finish line, when she went down. It was her first marathon, and she was running with the Parkinson's Champions team in honor of her late grandfather, who had the disease.

Her father, Steve Apa, told the New York Times that Rachel had played field hockey in college and was in "perfect health, perfect shape." Which is the kind of detail that makes this story both tragic and a reminder that the human body can be a fickle, uncooperative machine even when everything looks fine on paper.

Steve and Rachel's mother, Michelle Apa, were cheering her on Sunday. Michelle filmed her daughter smiling at mile 14. By mile 18, Rachel texted her father: "Ow." A mile later: "Ow, ow." She seemed to rally when she texted "final stretch" at mile 23. But shortly after, she collapsed. A member of the public performed CPR, and race medical staff used a defibrillator before she was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center. Doctors tried to save her, but she died at 9.40pm.

Steve Apa told the Times that Rachel died from rhabdomyolysis, a rare condition in which muscles break down, often brought on by heavy exercise. It's the kind of medical curveball that makes you want to wrap yourself in bubble wrap and never leave the house.

Rachel, from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, had recently started an MBA at Charleston Southern University. Because apparently being a college athlete, a marathon runner, and a graduate student wasn't enough of a workload.

"We are deeply saddened by the death of one of our runners following yesterday's race," the New York Road Runners, which organizes the marathon, said in a statement. "Our thoughts and sincere sympathies are with the runner's family, friends, and the entire running community."

The organization noted that the last time a participant died from a medical incident during the race was in 2024. Which is either reassuring or not, depending on how you feel about statistics and rare medical events.