NYC Marathon runner Rachel Apa remembered by longtime friend as ‘determined’ and ‘passionate’

Rachel Apa, a 24-year-old New York City Marathon runner and former Bucknell field hockey player, died hours after collapsing at Mile 24 in Central Park. Her longtime friend Isabella Pavlides remembered her as determined, confident and deeply supportive, while universities she attended paid tribute to her character and athletic achievements.

Apa died from rhabdomyolysis, a rare muscular condition. She had trained for months for her first marathon and was raising money to fight Parkinson’s disease, which had killed her grandfather. At Bucknell, she scored 17 goals and earned Academic All-Patriot League honours; she had recently moved to South Carolina to begin an MBA programme.