A spectator is opening up about the heartbreaking experience of being by 24-year-old runner Rachel Apa’s side just moments after she collapsed in Central Park and died just moments before reaching the finish line of the New York City Marathon.
Apa’s father, Steve Apa, shared with The New York Times that his daughter, who was in “perfect health,” died from rhabdomyolysis. This serious muscle condition can be triggered by extreme physical exertion. The condition causes muscle tissue to break down and release substances that can be toxic to the body.
Spectator Who Rushed to Help NYC Marathon Runner Rachel Apa Reveals What She Witnessed
A spectator named Michaela Nicholas shared the heartbreaking moments of being by 24-year-old runner Rachel Apa’s side moments after she collapsed near the finish line. Speaking to the Daily Mail, Nicholas, a hospital social worker, said she and her fiancé were cheering on the runners that day, telling them they were a little over 2 miles away from the finish line when Nicolas spotted Apa in green and yelled, “Let’s go, Rachel! You got this!”
However, at the 24-mile mark, she and her fiancé saw Apa “collapse on the floor,” with two women rushing to her side, one calling 911, and Nicholas breaking through the barrier to help. As her fiancé yelled out for a doctor among the crowd, Nicholas told the publication she “held Rachel’s hand and just told her that she wasn’t alone, that she had so many people who loved her, adding, “I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t scared.”
When two doctors arrived at the scene and began performing CPR, Nicholas said she knew that the situation was serious. She remained by Apa’s side until emergency medical personnel arrived. According to The New York Times, marathon medical staff used a defibrillator before paramedics transported Apa to Mount Sinai Medical Center. Doctors there fought to save her life for more than six hours, but ultimately could not.
Nicholas Reached Out to Apa’s Parents
Nicholas told the Daily Mail that after Apa was taken to the hospital, she looked for her name among the 61,000 runners to find a phone number. She found Apa’s parents’ number and provided it to the two nearby hospitals.
Nicholas heard about Apa’s passing the next day, sharing that she “debated” whether or not to call her parents to let them know she was by their daughter’s side. “And my gut was just telling me that I wanted to relay that people were with Rachel and that she wasn’t alone, that she was surrounded by a team of people trying to help,” she said. She shared that Apa’s parents were “just so loving and kind and so appreciative” of her phone call.
Dr. Bradley Uren, an emergency medicine physician at University of Michigan Health, told the NY Times that Apa experienced a “worst-case scenario” in which her condition deteriorated extremely rapidly.
NYC Marathon Spectator Shares Heartbreaking Account of Runner Rachel Apa’s Final Moments