NYC marathon spectator told Rachel Apa ‘she wasn’t alone’ as she reveals runner’s heartbreaking final moments

Spectator Michaela Nicholas rushed to help 24-year-old Rachel Apa after she collapsed near mile 24 of the New York City Marathon. Nicholas held Apa’s hand and told her she was not alone as doctors began CPR; Apa later died, and the account highlights the swift response of people around her.

Nicholas, a hospital social worker, stayed until Apa was taken by ambulance and then contacted nearby hospitals with her parents’ details. Apa’s father said she died six hours after collapsing from rhabdomyolysis, a rare muscle condition. A former field hockey player, she had recently begun graduate study and was running to raise money for Parkinson’s disease research.