Tragedy as popular influencer vanished in water during Ironman race...as volunteer describes moment he touched her body trying to save her

By LAUREN ACTON-TAYLOR, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 19:20, 20 April 2026 | Updated: 19:20, 20 April 2026 An event volunteer working the Texas Ironman race where a 38-year-old influencer tragically lost her life has revealed the moment he dove into the water to try and save her -  and the feeling he had when he briefly found her body.   Mara Flavia Araujo was pulled from Lake Woodlands in Texas on Saturday at around 9.30am after she vanished two hours earlier during the 2.4 mile long swimming portion of the race.  Araujo's death was confirmed by her sister, Melissa, as police launched an investigation into the tragedy.  Luis Taveira, a friend of Mara's, suggested that the influencer had been facing health issues days before the race took place.  'She was ill before the trip, she wasn't okay,' he said. '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. She was weakened because of the flu.'  Shawn McDonald, a volunteer working at the event on the day of the incident, recalled the distressing moment he attempted to rescue Mara.  'A group of younger volunteers in a kayak on the far side of the field were raising a flag, blowing a whistle, yelling for help,' McDonald wrote on Facebook.  Brazilian influencer Mara Flavia Araujo was pulled from Lake Woodlands in Texas on Saturday at around 9.30am after she vanished two hours earlier during the 2.4 mile long swimming portion of an Ironman race Shawn McDonald, a volunteer working at the event on the day of the incident, recalled the distressing moment he attempted to rescue Mara  Woodlands Fire Chief Palmer Buck said Mara was found ten feet deep in the water on the bottom of the lake and her body was surfaced at about 9.37am McDonald had been paddling alongside the swimmers with his twelve-year-old daughter, who had also been volunteering. 'I could see swimmers clinging to their kayak. I heard them say she went under...When I got there and asked what happened, they all said the same thing: "She went under. Right here. Right below us." The panic and fear on their faces won't leave me for a long time,' McDonald said.  'I dove in immediately and began searching. One other young volunteer, possibly a lifeguard, began diving with me.' McDonald then described the moment he briefly found her.  'After about a minute underwater, I felt her body with my foot.' McDonald recalled surfacing for air before he quickly dove back below the water again, but 'she was gone.' 'I don’t know how to describe what that felt like. I tried again. And again. And again. I just knew I would feel her again and could grab her and pull her up. I lost count of how many times I dove over the next hour,' he wrote.  The brave volunteer never thought that Mara had already died as he continued to try and find her.  'It never entered my mind that she had already passed long ago. I just kept searching like I was going to pull her up alive. Looking back, I was probably taking more risks than I should have. But I couldn’t stop.' 'After about a minute underwater, I felt her body with my foot,' McDonald recalled, adding that he surfaced for air before quickly diving back below the water again but 'she was gone' Mara had been an accomplished athlete who regularly shared pictures on social media of her training. She had placed in third at this year's Brasilia Triathlon and managed to qualify for the Ironman 70.3 twice McDonald, who had competed as an Ironman athlete himself, said that it broke his heart to imagine Mara's family waiting for her to surface again and appear on her bike to continue the race.  'To her family: We did everything we could. I am so deeply, genuinely sorry that it wasn't enough. She will stay with me,' he said.  Woodlands Fire Chief Palmer Buck told local media outlets on Saturday that they had been notified of a lost swimmer at around 7.30am that morning.  Buck said Mara was found in about ten feet of water on the bottom of the lake and her body was surfaced at about 9.37am.  Mara had been an accomplished athlete who regularly shared pictures on social media of her training. Mara placed in third at this year's Brasilia Triathlon and managed to qualify for the Ironman 70.3 twice.  The influencer recently told her followers how she became a triathlete eight years ago after being diagnosed with a health problem, writing: 'I saw a way to be reborn, God and sport.'  The Brazilian native was born in Sao Paulo and began working as a radio presenter before pursuing a career as a DJ in the months before her death.  The organizers of the Texas Ironman 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.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. 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