New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh set aside football questions at his Wednesday media session to honor Rachel Apa, the 24-year-old runner who died after collapsing during Sunday’s New York City Marathon.
Before taking questions from reporters, Harbaugh spoke directly about the tragedy on behalf of the Giants organization.
“First of all, I just want to express our thoughts and prayers to the family of Rachel Apa, a 24-year-old young athlete who passed away in the New York City Marathon this past weekend,” Harbaugh said.
“I cannot imagine the pain that they’re going through and yet also the pride they feel for a life well lived. When you read about her life, it’s just incredible to read the type of person she was, and she’ll be really dearly missed.”
“She’s in God’s hands now, and we just want to let the family know that the New York Giants are thinking about their daughter and their family,” he added.
Apa, a former Division I field hockey player at Bucknell University and a graduate student at Charleston Southern, was running her first 26.2-mile race to raise money for Parkinson’s disease research in memory of her late grandfather. She collapsed in Central Park near Mile 24, just two miles from the finish line.
Spectators and race medics performed CPR at the scene, but Apa died hours later at Mount Sinai Hospital. Her family said doctors cited rhabdomyolysis, a severe form of muscle breakdown, as a factor. Medical examiners are still working to determine the official cause of death.
In the days since the race, teammates, coaches and runners across the country have remembered Apa for the generosity that drove her to compete, rather than the distance she was unable to finish.
Both Bucknell and Charleston Southern have paid tribute to Apa. Her family has since established The Rachel Apa Foundation to continue her work supporting others and advocating for runner health and medical safety.
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