The New York City Marathon was overshadowed by the death of 24-year-old runner Rachel Apa, who collapsed near the finish line and was later pronounced dead at a hospital. The cause of death was confirmed as rhabdomyolysis, a dangerous medical condition triggered by extreme muscle damage and breakdown. Apa, a former collegiate athlete known for being in perfect health, was running her first marathon when the tragedy occurred. She was from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania and was running with the Parkinson’s Foundation Champions team in honor of her grandfather, who had Parkinson’s disease.
Apa Itu Rhabdomyolysis
Rhabdomyolysis means the rapid breakdown of muscle tissue, according to Dr. Sohaib Imtiaz, Chief Medical Officer at People Inc. When muscle cells die from overexertion, they release contents like potassium and myoglobin into the bloodstream. Bukan otot yang rusak yang menyebabkan masalah utama, melainkan dampak dari pemecahan otot tersebut terhadap tubuh.
Hal ini dapat menyebabkan lonjakan kalium berbahaya yang dapat menghentikan detak jantung secara mendadak, serta memicu gagal ginjal, penurunan tekanan darah secara drastis, atau masalah pembekuan darah,
Dr. Imtiaz explained. He noted that rhabdo and heat illness can also cause confusion, and that the silent nature of the condition, with no initial symptoms, makes it particularly dangerous.
Timeline of Events
During the marathon on Sunday (1/11), Apa sent text messages to her father, Steve Apa, that showed her declining condition. At around 11:30 AM, when she was at kilometer 14, she messaged normally. At kilometer 18, her response changed drastically, and she only wrote “aw” (pain). At kilometer 37, she sent a final message to her father. Shortly after, she collapsed near mile 24, approximately 3.2 kilometers from the finish line. A bystander performed CPR before race medical staff arrived and used a defibrillator. She was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center in critical condition but was pronounced dead at 9:40 PM local time.
Organizations Respond
New York Road Runners, the organizer of the marathon, issued a statement of condolence: Kami sangat berduka atas meninggalnya salah satu pelari kami setelah perlombaan kemarin. Pikiran dan simpati tulus kami menyertai keluarga, teman-teman, serta seluruh komunitas pelari.
The New York City Medical Examiner’s office is conducting an investigation to confirm the cause of death. Apa was running with the Parkinson’s Foundation Champions team in honor of her grandfather, who had Parkinson’s disease. According to statistics, the New York City Marathon this year had a record 61,146 finishers. A 2019 study in the BMJ journal noted the risk of death for runners is about 1 in 150,000, with incidents more common in the last quarter of a race and often linked to undetected coronary artery disease in male runners. Source 1 | Source 3 | Source 4 | Source 2 | Source 5
