Influencer Mara Flavia who drowned during Ironman made tragic post days before death

An influencer who drowned during a triathlon made a post in the days before her death which has become tragic.

Brazilian fitness influencer Mara Flávia took part in an Ironman triathlon in Texas on Saturday (18 April) but during the swimming portion she disappeared underwater and did not resurface.

The 38-year-old's fellow competitors tried diving down to rescue her but couldn't find her and she drowned, it took a dive team arriving on the scene and using sonar equipment to locate her.

In the days before she died Mara had posted pictures of herself training for the triathlon in a pool, saying it was 'just another day of work' in a post she put on Instagram the day before the triathlon.

Her other social media activity in the days before her death also showed her training for the triathlon that would ultimately cost the fitness influencer her life.

"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," Ironman Texas said in a statement after her body had been recovered.

"Our gratitude goes out to the first responders for their assistance."

Flávia had been an experienced triathlete who had competed in nine separate events since August 2018 and shared pictures of her training and competing with her thousands of followers online.

A friend of hers recently suggested that the triathlete had been unwell leading up to the event in Texas and they'd told her she shouldn't compete.

"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."

Taveira said that Flávia had been 'weakened' by her illness but was 'training hard' for the triathlon despite struggling with the flu.

He said: "I still cannot believe what’s happened. She was ill because of the flu."

The triathlon, which consists of a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run, is a very difficult and physically demanding event.

According to ESPN there have been 79 recorded deaths in triathlons in the US between 2007 and 2016, showing how demanding and dangerous an event it can be.

It would appear as though the swimming portion of the triathlon is the most dangerous part, as 63 of those 79 deaths occurred during that segment.