THE WOODLANDS — Brazilian triathlete Mara Flavia Souza Araujo, 38, died during the swim portion of Ironman Texas on Saturday at Lake Woodlands in The Woodlands, near Houston. Preliminary investigations indicate she drowned, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Department, which identified the victim.

Calls began coming into the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office and the Woodlands Township Fire Department as early as 6 a.m. Crews were first notified about the lost swimmer around 7:30 a.m., Fire Chief Palmer Buck said. Souza Araujo was pulled out of about 10 feet of water just after 9:30 a.m., roughly three hours after she disappeared. She was pronounced dead on the shore. The Major Crimes unit of the sheriff's office will continue the investigation per normal protocols.

Race organizers said in a statement: "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 their assistance."

Souza Araujo had completed at least nine other Ironman events over the past nine years. She had more than 60,000 followers on Instagram, where she shared her training and racing.

In one Instagram post, she wrote: "Enjoy this ride on the bullet train that is life. And even with the speed of the machine blurring the landscape, look out the window — for at any moment, the train will drop you off at the eternal station."