To describe Mountain Top’s Patty Lavan as a Renaissance woman certainly wouldn’t be an exaggeration!
Lavan recently set a state record in a powerlifting competition and a day later won a first place blue ribbon at the Bloomsburg Fair for her Irish brown bread, one of two ribbons she was awarded for her baking.
She actually set four state records during the National Powerlifting League’s Local Legends 3 powerlifting competition held on Sept. 26 at the Ambition Gym in Wilkes-Barre Twp.
Competing in the women’s age 65-69 division in the 52 kg (114.3 lbs.) weight category, the 110-pound Lavan set a new state record for the squat, lifting 32.5 kg (71.7 lbs.); the bench prese lifting 30 kg (66.1 lbs.); and deadlift 65 kg (143.3 lbs.). Her total weight lifted in the three events, 1275. Kg (281.1 lbs.) was also a state record for her division.
Besides those record-setting accomplishments in the gym, that same weekend Lavan entered three of her baked goods in the Bloomsburg Fair’s baking competition, taking home first place for her Irish brown bread and second place for her pumpkin muffins.
A regular at 10X Fitness in Mountain Top, where she works out on weight machines and free weights at least five days a week, Lavan said she developed an interest in powerlifting after attending several powerlifting competitions in which her son, Jimmy, participated.
“I asked Jimmy if a woman my age could become involved in powerlifting,” the 65-year-old said. “He said absolutely.”
So, her son, who is in his final year in pharmacy school at Wilkes University, began coaching her and developed a workout program for her. Lavan noted that her son coaches powerlifters at Ambition Gym and started a Health and Wellness Club at Wilkes.
Lavan said she entered a competition in 2025 at Ambition Gym and did well. (She actually set a state record for her previous age group of under 65.)
“That encouraged me to keep going,” Lavan explained. “I feel it is important to keep moving and keep getting stronger in our senior years. It feels good to be doing something healthy.”
Besides encouragement from her son, Lavan said she receives lots of support from her husband, Tom, who also works out daily at 10X Fitness in addition to his daily runs throughout Mountain Top.
She also has had a lot of encouragement from her 100-year- old mother, Ruth Farrell.
“’Keep moving,’ my mother told me. ‘You can’t stop moving,’” Lavan recalled.
Lavan pointed out that her mother still lives independently at age 100.
At the recent competition, she met a woman who also was competing in the Masters Division.
“She said that she saw me at the powerlifting meet last year and I inspired her to participate. She also medaled,” Lavan said.
The petite Lavan said her goal as a powerlifter is to increase the weight she lifts and push herself to be even stronger.
“I hope my powerlifting will encourage others to get out there and lift to stay strong and healthy,” she offered.
Her love of Irish brown bread, Lavan explained, came from her trips to Ireland.
“It is so delicious,” she said of the bread so popular in Irish homes and restaurants. “And it is so different everywhere you go (in Ireland).”
After one of her trips to Ireland, she decided to try her hand at baking her own brown bread. She found some recipes online and started baking. During her most recent trip to Ireland, she and her husband stayed at an Airbnb.
“The Irish brown bread they served there was phenomenal,” she said.
When she returned home, she emailed the daughter of the owner and asked if she could have the recipe.
“She emailed it to me, but when I opened the email I found it used metric weights and some of the ingredients were described as using ‘a handful’.”
So, Lavan began experimenting.
“I began using some of the ingredients from her recipe, like wheat germ and wheat bran, and adding them to my own recipe,” she explained.
That recipe won her a blue ribbon at the fair.
