Heartbreaking obituary for NYC Marathon runner Rachel Apa who died in home stretch released: ‘Always found her way to the finish line’

Rachel Apa’s family has honoured the 24-year-old runner in an obituary after she died hours after collapsing near the finish of the New York City Marathon. The tribute remembered her determination and zest for life, while her family has established a foundation to raise awareness of the rare condition linked to her death.

Apa collapsed at Mile 24 in Central Park on 1 November and died from rhabdomyolysis, a rare muscular condition. From Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, she had recently moved to Charleston, where she worked as a product manager and was studying for an MBA; she had also played Division I field hockey at Bucknell. She was running her first marathon to raise money for Parkinson’s disease research, and a fundraiser for her memorial foundation has raised more than $118,000.