Marathon runner Rachel Apa, 24, had played field hockey and was always active and healthy, her dad said. Photo: @rachelapa

Rachel Apa was one of more than 61,000 people who had signed up for this year’s race, which took place on Sunday.

But the 24-year-old is said to have collapsed near the finish line and was given first aid along the race course.

She was then rushed to the hospital by ambulance, where she later died, with her cause of death subsequently confirmed as a rare condition called rhabdomyolysis that can affect even healthy people.

Rachel’s dad, Steve Apa, said his daughter had texted him regularly during her first-ever marathon, but her messages stopped at around mile 24.

He and Rachel’s friends monitoring the marathon tracking app then noticed her location had stopped in one spot.

While Rachel’s first messages throughout most of the race were full of confidence and positivity, at mile 20 she texted ‘Ow, ow.’

Steve responded with: ‘All finish, not speed,’ but his daughter never replied, the messages – shared with NBC News – reveal.

Mum Michelle, who was watching the race further along the track, arrived at the scene. There, an emergency worker told her that Rachel had been taken to the hospital, and she followed.

An onlooker is said to have given the woman CPR before marathon paramedics arrived, and used a defibrillator on Rachel to save her.

Doctors confirmed later that Rachel, a university field hockey player without previous health issues, died of rhabdomyolysis.

Rachel, a graduate of Bucknell University in Pennsylvania, had been training for the marathon and exercised regularly and was raising money with the marathon challenge in memory of her granddad, who died of Parkinson’s, according to Steve.

She wrote on her fundraising page for Parkinson’s Champions: ‘My grandfather was my role model growing up.

‘He taught me to stay active, push my limits, and embrace challenges, shaping my love for sports and movement.

‘Later in life, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, and I watched as the disease slowly took away the freedom to move that he once loved so much.’

Race organiser New York Road Runners said: ‘We are deeply saddened by Rachel’s passing following her participation in Sunday’s race.

‘Our thoughts and sincere sympathies are with her family, friends, and the entire running community.’