Rachel Apa, 24, died hours after collapsing near Mile 24 of the New York City Marathon in Central Park, succumbing to rhabdomyolysis, a rare and dangerous muscular condition. In the days since, friends and the two universities she attended have come forward to describe her as a driven athlete and generous friend.
Apa was a four-year starter on the Division I field hockey team at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, before moving on to pursue an MBA at Charleston Southern University in South Carolina this year.
Isabella Pavlides, a 23-year-old pre-med student from Voorhees, New Jersey, met Apa at a hockey camp in 2018 and later followed her to Bucknell. She described her friend as someone who threw herself completely into whatever she pursued.
“I always admired Rachel’s work ethic and the way she approached pretty much everything, especially with field hockey,” Pavlides said. “She was so competitive, and when she had her mind set on something, and she wanted something, she put her whole heart into it and truly believed that she could get it done.”
Pavlides said Apa, a year ahead of her at Bucknell, influenced her decision to attend the school and quickly became a mentor on campus.
“From the moment I stepped on campus as a freshman, she essentially took me under her wing and became like my best friend and my big sister,” Pavlides said. “I could not imagine my time at Bucknell without her.”
The two became roommates during Pavlides’ sophomore year and both played forward on the field hockey team. Pavlides said one of her favorite memories was their first night living together, when they stayed up making cookies.
“Her determination always inspired me and anytime I was having maybe a rough time with field hockey, especially as a freshman, she always would speak life into me and like make me believe that I could do anything. And that’s how she carried herself,” Pavlides said.
The two stayed close after graduation. Pavlides last saw Apa in December at a Santa Con event in New York, before Apa had signed up to run the marathon.
On LinkedIn, Apa had written that she was running her first marathon to raise money for Parkinson’s disease research, a cause tied to the death of her grandfather. She credited him with teaching her to “stay active, push my limits, and embrace challenges.”
Bucknell University confirmed Apa’s record with the Bison field hockey program in a statement to the press.
“Rachel was a four-year member and key contributor to the Bison field hockey team, scoring 17 goals during her collegiate career and earning Academic All-Patriot League honors,” a university spokesperson said. “The Bucknell community mourns her loss and extends its heartfelt condolences to all who knew and loved her.”
Charleston Southern University also issued a statement noting that Apa had trained for months ahead of the race. President B. Keith Faulkner called her a “vibrant young woman in the prime of her life.”
“We will never fully understand why this happened to a young woman of such remarkable strength and character,” Faulkner said. “Her final hours are forever marked by Rachel’s selfless dedication to helping others as she ran to raise funds in the fight against Parkinson’s disease.”
