A young New York City Marathon runner who collapsed in the final stretch died from a rare muscle condition — despite being in “perfect health,” her devastated family has revealed.
Rachel Apa, 24, was at Mile 24 in Central Park, close to 85th Street, when she fell to the ground at around 1:30 p.m. Sunday.
Her cause of death was rhabdomyolysis, a rare muscle condition that can be caused by exertion, in which the muscles break down and poison the body, her father, Steve Apa, told the New York Times.
“It’s unfathomable. Perfect health, perfect shape, 24 years old,” said her grieving dad, who was tracking his daughter on the marathon app from his home in Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, when he saw she had stopped moving.
