An influencer who died while competing in a gruelling triathlon may have ignored friends' warnings about her ill health before the race.
Earlier this week Brazilian content creator Mara Flávia Souza Araujo was confirmed to have died while taking part in the Texas Ironman competition on 18 April. Emergency services were called to race following reports of a missing swimmer, with the 38-year-old's body being recovered from Lake Woodlands at 9:30am.
Her death was later confirmed by Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department in a statement given to NBC News.
"MCSO can confirm that Mara Flávia Souza Araujo, 38, of Brazil died while competing in the Ironman event in The Woodlands on Saturday," the sheriff’s department said.
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"Preliminary investigations indicate she drowned during the swimming portion of the event."
'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.
The São Paulo-based influencer was understood to have been an experienced triathlete who'd competed in nine different Ironman events since August 2018.
Flávia, who also worked as a radio presenter and DJ, regularly shared updates on her fitness and training with her 60,000 followers on Instagram, with her most recent posts revealing she had been preparing for the event by running and swimming.
A cause of death has not been issued, with law enforcement currently investigating her passing. However a friend of Flávia's has since come forward to suggest that she may have been struggling with her health in the days leading up to the race.
"She was ill before the trip, she wasn’t okay," influencer Luis Taveira said of his friend in an interview with The Spun.
"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," he continued.
He went on to add that she had been 'training hard' for the event despite being 'weakened by her illness.
"I still cannot believe what’s happened. She was ill because of the flu."
Meanwhile Texas Ironman has since issued a statement regarding Flávia's death, saying: "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."
Flávia isn't the first person to pass away while competing in the triathlon, with Yahoo! Sports reporting that 35 named athletes have died while attempting to complete the race.
If you have experienced a bereavement and would like to speak with someone in confidence, contact Cruse Bereavement Care via their national helpline on 0808 808 1677.
Brenna Cooper