World2 min(s) read
Published 13:40 20 Apr 2026 GMT
Fitness influencer, 38, shared heartbreaking post hours before she was found dead after vanishing during Ironman race
A triathlete and influencer died while completing the swimming section of a tough endurance challenge.
The Brazilian woman, Mara Flavia Araujo, 38, went missing in Lake Woodlands, Texas, after competing in an arduous Ironman.
Just a day before her tragic death, the amateur athlete posted a selfie in swimwear on her Instagram account, which has over 61,000 followers, with the caption “another day of work”.
At around 9:30AM the next day, her body was pulled from the murky water by a dive team.
After an investigation was launched into the circumstances surrounding her death, Mara’s sister, Melissa Araujo, confirmed she died at the event.
Despite Araujo having been an accomplished triathlete, placing third in the Brasilia Triathlon and obtaining two world qualifications for the Ironman 70.3, it’s been reported that friends were concerned she was not well enough to compete.
Was she fit enough to compete?
The influencer’s friend, Luis Taveira, suggested Araujo had health problems, although her cause of death has not yet been revealed.
He said: “She was ill before the trip, she wasn’t okay.
“My wife and I spoke with her to say she was too weak for this race, although a couple of days ago when we talked to her, she insisted she was okay.
“I still cannot believe what’s happened.”
Taveira claimed: “She was weakened because of flu, but still training hard.”
Araujo was born in São Paulo and worked as a radio presenter before her recent transition into part-time DJing while training for triathlons.
In a recent Instagram post, she told her followers how she became a triathlete nearly eight years ago after being diagnosed with a health problem, writing: “I saw a way to be reborn, God and sport.”
Are the organisers putting enough safety measures in place?
Organisers of the Texas triathlon said in a statement: “We are saddened to confirm the death of a race participant during the swim portion of today’s triathlon.
“We send our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the athlete, and will offer them our support as they go through this very difficult time.
“Our gratitude goes out to the first responders for the assistance.”
Sadly, this is not the first death at the annual Memorial Hermann Ironman Texas.
A 54-year-old man, Glen Bruemmer, also lost his life during the swimming segment of the race in 2017.