24-year-old woman collapses and dies two miles from finish line in NYC marathon

NEW YORK (CNN, KYMA) - A 24-year-old woman from Lewisberry, Pennsylvania, collapsed during the New York City Marathon Sunday and later died at a hospital, New York police said. Rachel Apa was just a couple miles short of the finish.

Deaths during marathons are extremely rare, experts say, even as more people run these grueling 26.2 mile races.

The City Medical Examiner's Office said Tuesday that it is still investigating Apa's death.

Her father, Steve Apa, told the New York Times that the cause was rhabdomyolysis, also known as rhabdo, a rare condition in which skeletal muscle breaks down and dies quickly, poisoning the body. It can damage the kidneys, cause life-threatening heart problems or trigger total organ failure.

When Apa collapsed, a bystander performed CPR and race staff used a defibrillator. Paramedics took Apa to the hospital, but were unable to save her.