"Dad, it hurts so much" 24-year-old's sudden death: Cause finally revealed "She was clearly healthy..."

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The cause of the tragedy in which a 24-year-old former college field hockey prospect collapsed and died just before the finish line, having challenged her first marathon full course to honor her late grandfather and raise funds for Parkinson's disease research, has been identified as rhabdomyolysis, a fatal muscle damage disorder.

U.S. media outlet "ABC News" reported on the 15th (Korean time), "The family of Rachel Afa, a 24-year-old woman who died after participating in the 2026 New York City Marathon, has confirmed that the cause of her daughter's death was rhabdomyolysis," adding that it is a "dangerous disease that can take lives even among former college athletes who boasted perfect health and strong physical fitness."

According to reports from "NY Post" and others, Afa suddenly lost consciousness and collapsed at a point just 3.2 km before the finish line during the New York City Marathon full course race held on the 1st. A bystander at the scene immediately performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and event medical staff continued emergency treatment using a defibrillator. Afa was then urgently transported to a hospital, but despite more than six hours of desperate efforts by medical staff, she never regained consciousness.

The deceased's father, Steve Afa, said in an interview with "ABC News," "My daughter had no underlying health conditions and trained diligently for this marathon," adding with grief, "I was exchanging text messages with her throughout the race, but contact was suddenly cut off at the 24th-mile mark."

According to local reports, Rachel sent a brief text message saying "Ouch" to her father, complaining of pain, upon reaching approximately the 29th km mark. She then ran another 1.6 km and sent consecutive texts saying "It hurts, it hurts" to her father at approximately the 30.5 km mark. At approximately the 37th km mark, her father sent an encouraging text saying "It's the last stretch," but Rachel ultimately failed to reply and lost consciousness and collapsed at approximately the 38.6 km mark, just 3.5 km before the finish line. Father Steve sobbed, "I cannot understand or accept this."

Rhabdomyolysis, the cause of death revealed by the family, is a fatal disease that occurs when electrolytes and protein components are released in large quantities into the bloodstream from muscle tissue damaged by intense physical activity or trauma. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), high concentrations of proteins and electrolytes poured into the blood flow can cause acute kidney failure if the kidneys fail to filter them out in time, leading to vomiting, organ damage, seizures, cardiac arrhythmias, and potentially death in severe cases.

The CDC warned that even healthy individuals with well-trained bodies, such as marathon runners or professional athletes, can develop rhabdomyolysis if exposed to environments involving excessive muscle use or high temperatures. Major symptoms include extreme muscle pain accompanied by joint pain, cramps, dark brown urine, and extreme fatigue. Because the symptoms are similar to heatstroke or simple muscle cramps, the condition is easily neglected.

The medical encyclopedia "MedlinePlus" from the U.S. National Library of Medicine explained that immediate hospital treatment is required when symptoms appear. While mild cases can recover with fluid replacement and rest, severe progression makes kidney dialysis and intensive inpatient treatment essential.

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original