On her fundraising page, Rachel Apa had said her grandfather inspired her love for sports (Photo: X)

A 24-year-old woman who died after collapsing during the New York City Marathon was running to honour her grandfather, who had Parkinson’s disease and passed away in 2022.

Rachel Apa, a former college athlete from Pennsylvania, had dedicated her first marathon to raising awareness and funds for the disease after witnessing how it affected her grandfather.

Apa participated in the November 1 race as part of the Parkinson ’s Foundation Champions team, with an initial fundraising target of $4,000. However, following her death, donations to her campaign surged, crossing $21,000, more than five times her original goal, the Los Angeles Times reported.

‘My grandfather was my role model’

On her fundraising page, Apa had said her grandfather inspired her love for sports and encouraged her to stay physically active.…