Mara Flavia Araujo, a 38-year-old Brazilian influencer, died during the swimming portion of the Ironman Texas event in Lake Woodlands on April 26, 2025, according to multiple reports. She was reported as a lost swimmer at around 7:30 am. Her body was found approximately 90 minutes later in 10 feet of water by divers, and she was pronounced dead at the scene. Preliminary investigations by the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department indicate she drowned during the swimming portion.
Araujo was an experienced triathlete who had completed at least nine Ironman events since 2018 and had over 60,000 followers on Instagram. A friend, Luis Taveira, said Araujo had been ill with the flu days before the race and was weakened. Taveira described that she was not okay and that he and his wife had told her she was too weak for the race, but she insisted she was fine.
Volunteer Shawn McDonald attempted to rescue Araujo and briefly felt her body with his foot underwater but could not retrieve her. McDonald dove repeatedly for about an hour searching for Araujo. Race organizers expressed condolences and offered support to the family, thanking first responders for their assistance.
In a separate incident, Tamyris Teixeira Santos, a 35-year-old lawyer and fitness enthusiast, disappeared while swimming at Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on April 20, 2025. Her friends left the beach without her when she failed to return from swimming. Her family learned she was missing the following day when kiosk staff contacted them. Her body was found on the shore at Botafogo Beach on April 21, 2025. Firefighters said sea conditions were calm at the time. No cause of death has been confirmed yet.
Santos was a lawyer and fitness enthusiast who trained in jiu-jitsu and Muay Thai. The exact cause of death for Santos remains unknown, and it is unclear why her friends left without reporting her missing.