NYC marathon spectator told Rachel Apa she wasnt alone as she reveals runners heartbreaking final moments

A New York City Marathon spectator who had just cheered on 24-year-old Rachel Apa moments before she collapsed Sunday, revealed that she rushed to her side, held her hand and told her “she wasn’t alone.”Hospital social worker Michaela Nicholas and her fiancé had initially planned to stay on the sidelines of the marathon just briefly but after getting “drawn in by the energy of New York City,” the couple decided to continue cheering near a marker that told the runners they were only 2.2 miles from the finish line, the Daily Mail reported. The couple spotted Apa running by at around 1:30 p.m., decked out in green with “Rachel” printed across her bib. “So we both cheered,” Nicholas told the publication.“‘Let’s go, Rachel! You got this!’”Only a few moments later, Nicholas said she glanced up the road around the 24-mile mark, “about 15 yards ahead,” and saw Apa “was collapsed on the floor.”Two young women competing in the race stopped to help the fallen runner — one of whom was on the phone to 911 — as Nicholas broke through the spectator barrier to help.The social worker found Apa unresponsive and without a pulse, while her fiancé yelled out for a doctor.“I held Rachel’s hand and just told her that she wasn’t alone, that she had so many people who loved her,” Nicholas said.

“I just wanted to make sure she wasn’t scared.”Two doctors in the crowd quickly rushed to her side and began CPR on her — and Nicholas said a prayer as she rubbed the cross on Apa’s bracelet.“I work in palliative care and I unfortunately have seen a lot of people at end of life,” Nicholas said.“And I knew it was serious.”She remained at Apa’s side until medics from the marathon arrived, and only left Central Park once the runner was placed on a stretcher and loaded into an ambulance. At that point, Nicholas “just thought about what else I could do” and then scrolled through the names of the 61,000 runners who participated ...