61,146 Runners Finished New York City Marathon After One Death

A record 61,146 runners crossed the finish line of the New York City Marathon on Sunday, one day after a 24-year-old competitor died from a rare medical condition. Rachel Apa collapsed near mile 24, which is approximately 38.6 kilometres into the 42.2-kilometre course. She was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition and passed away that night.

Race organizers, New York Road Runners, stated that a bystander began cardiopulmonary resuscitation before event medical staff took over. Paramedics also used a defibrillator on Apa before transporting her. Her father, Steve Apa, identified the cause of death as rhabdomyolysis. This condition occurs when muscle cells break down and release their contents into the bloodstream, a process that can be triggered by severe physical exertion.

Steve Apa told USA Today that his daughter was a lifelong athlete and a former Division I field hockey player at Bucknell University. He said she had prepared for the event for several months. Although this was her first marathon, her father noted, “She did everything she's supposed to.”

Experts note that deaths during distance races are uncommon. Jack Goodman, a professor emeritus in kinesiology at the University of Toronto, said marathons have not become riskier over the past two decades. He explained that the growing number of participants means rare emergencies occur within a much larger population. Dr. Christopher Labos, a cardiologist and epidemiologist in Montreal, added that the unexpected nature of these events attracts significant media attention.

Participation in marathons has increased globally. A 2025 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that more than 29 million people completed American marathons and half-marathons between 2010 and 2023. This figure is three times the number recorded a decade earlier. For the 2027 London Marathon, 1.3 million people have applied for a place. Demand for the Boston Marathon has also led to tighter qualifying times.

A 2019 global review in the BMJ estimated the overall death risk at roughly one in 150,000 runners. The study found that deaths were more common among men and frequently involved coronary artery disease. Most fatalities occurred in the final quarter of a race. A separate 2025 American study found that the risk of dying from a cardiac event during long-distance races had fallen by about half in recent years, likely due to better emergency preparations and access to defibrillators.

The American researchers observed a small increase in non-fatal cardiac events since 2020. They suggested that reduced access to health care during the pandemic may have left more cardiovascular disease undetected. Apa worked as an industrial-technology product manager and ran to raise money for Parkinson’s disease. She described her grandfather, who had the condition, as her “role model” on her fundraising page. By Tuesday evening, the campaign had collected more than $26,000 US.