Fitness Influencer Drowns During Ironman Texas Swim in Lake Woodlands

Mara Flávia’s husband paid tribute after the Brazilian triathlete drowned during the Ironman Texas swim segment.

Published: 4/21/2026, 4:03:59 AM EDT

Fitness Influencer Drowns During Ironman Texas Swim in Lake Woodlands — Lake Woodlands near East Shore Drive, in The Woodlands, Texas, in June 2025. (Google Maps/Screenshot via NTD)

A participant drowned during the swim segment of the Ironman Texas race in Lake Woodlands on Saturday morning, authorities said.

The deceased participant has been identified as Mara Flávia, a 38-year-old Brazilian triathlete and fitness influencer.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) said the incident happened near North Shore Park during the event’s 2.4-mile open-water swim.

“A participant in today’s Ironman Triathlon in the Woodlands has drowned while participating in the swim portion of the event,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement, adding that “the Woodlands Fire Department completed the rescue in Lake Woodlands near North Shore Park.”

A volunteer assisting with the water event described a rapid emergency response after distress signals were raised. In a Facebook post, Shawn McDonald wrote, “We lost an Ironman athlete this morning on the swim. This is hard to write.”

“I’m sharing this because I hope it somehow finds its way back to her family—and that it brings them even a small measure of comfort knowing that people who didn’t know her at all gave everything they had to save her,” he said.

McDonald said he heard whistles and saw volunteers signaling for help as swimmers clustered around a kayak. By the time he reached the area, witnesses told him, “She went under. Right here. Right below us.”

He and another volunteer began diving in repeated attempts to locate her. McDonald described searching frantically, saying, “I just kept searching like I was going to pull her up alive,” as additional rescue resources, including boats equipped with sonar, arrived.

Dive teams later recovered the woman’s body, he said.

McDonald wrote that “She was someone’s whole world. To her family: we did everything we could. I am so deeply, genuinely sorry that it wasn’t enough. She will stay with me.”

Rodrigo Ferrari, Flávia’s partner, shared a tribute on April 20, saying it took him three days to gather the strength to write: “My love, I know that today is the third day without you, but only now I have gathered some strength inside to write to you, to pay you some homage the size you deserve.”

He described the difficulty of waking up without her and missing their daily routines, writing, “Waking up without you next to me is really, really hard. I want my 'good morning bear', our kiss, our caress. Ursa, you were the best person I have ever met in my life by the way, you brought back my will to live, my joy, and the twinkle in my eyes for everything that I loved.”

Ferrari said her light touched everyone around her and that his love for her would be eternal. He recalled Flávia’s own words just a week before her death. “Our love is eternal, and I'll meet you in the next season,” he said. “Go still, in your light! TE AMO!”

Just over a week before the race, Flávia shared a photo of herself and wrote, “Enjoy this train ride, which is life. And even with the speed of the machine, blinding the scenery, look out the window, because at any moment the train will leave you at the eternal station."

The Ironman Texas course begins with a mass swim in Lake Woodlands, followed by cycling and running segments through The Woodlands area. Organizers describe the swim as a spectator-lined, open-water portion of the race.

Lake Woodlands, a 200-acre man-made freshwater lake, was constructed in the mid-1980s as a centerpiece of The Woodlands community, near Houston. The lake averages about 8 feet in depth and was designed for recreation. The maximum depth is estimated at around 13 feet, with variations throughout the lake.

Authorities have not said whether weather, medical issues, or other factors contributed to the drowning. Flávia’s death remains under investigation with the MCSO major crimes team.