Authorities in Texas are investigating after a woman identified in multiple reports as a popular Brazilian fitness influencer drowned during the swimming portion of an Ironman triathlon over the weekend.
“A participant in today’s Ironman Triathlon in The Woodlands drowned while participating in the swimming portion,” the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office announced in a Facebook post on Saturday, April 18.
Firefighters rescued a woman from Woodlands Lake in the Woodlands area, a major Houston suburb, the sheriff’s office said. The sheriff’s office did not release the names of the participants. However, Brazilian media outlets O Globo and O Dia identified her as Brazilian triathlete and influencer Mara Flavia Araujo. Her name also appears on the Montgomery County Coroner’s website.
“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of this participant,” the sheriff’s office said, adding that major crimes detectives were on the scene April 18 and are conducting an investigation.
“My heart goes out to you,” Texas ironman says.
Ironman Texas also released a statement on Saturday regarding the participant’s death, saying, “We are saddened to confirm the death of a race participant during the swim portion of today’s Ironman Texas Triathlon.”
A statement posted on the event’s Facebook page continued: “We send our deepest condolences to the athlete’s family and friends and offer our support to them as they navigate this extremely difficult time.” “We would like to express our gratitude to those who assisted in the initial response.”
Memorial Hermann, a Texas health system, is the title sponsor of Ironman Texas.
Ironman Texas consists of a 3.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 46.2-mile run, according to the event website. According to the Ironman Texas schedule, the women’s swimming portion began Saturday at approximately 6:31 a.m. Central Time.
The Woodlands Fire Department told Kron that crews received a call about a possible missing swimmer at Woodlands Lake around 7:30 a.m. PT. Araujo was pulled from the water around 9:30 a.m. CT and pronounced dead, the Houston-based newspaper said.
Who is Mara Flavia Araujo?
Araujo, 38, had more than 61,000 followers on Instagram at the time of his death. She shared fitness content on her social media pages, including photos and videos from previous Ironman races.
Her last post on April 17th was an ad for Hive Global, a wellness and supplement brand. Commenters underneath the post expressed their sympathies, including fellow Brazilian triathlete influencer Via Neres, who wrote, “Still can’t believe it! May you find peace wherever you are. Always a great person and a true lover of the sport.”
“This morning we lost an Ironman swimmer during our swim. This is hard to write,” Sean MacDonald, a volunteer for the event, wrote in a Facebook post on April 18.
“She went into that water chasing something that most people only dream of finishing. She trained for it and showed up for it. She deserves to come out of there,” McDonald wrote of Araujo. “Her name was Mara and she was from Brazil. She was someone’s world.”
McDonald added: “To her family. We did everything we could. We are deeply, deeply sorry that it wasn’t enough. She is with me. May she rest in peace. I’m praying for you all and please do the same for us.”
