72-year-old powerlifting nun from SF preparing for first competition

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Pat Farrell, a 72-year-old nun from San Francisco, is preparing to compete in her first powerlifting competition this Saturday at Iron Warehouse in Hayward.

Farrell trains at The Yard in San Francisco, where she has been working out religiously for the past two months. Her dedication to fitness is supported by her church community, which has helped her stay motivated.

“It’s inspiring, she has been easily one of the more outgoing, motivated people who have come into the gym,” said Josh Keihl, head of community experience at The Yard.

Farrell follows a strict vegan diet and has been committed to fitness for years, noticing significant improvements in her health, including strengthened muscles and diminished lower back issues.

“It’s strengthened my core, and it’s strengthened my muscles and a lot of the issues with my lower back have diminished incredibly,” she said.

Farrell is unique not only for her age but also as the first nun to join the training schedule at The Yard. She is part of the Archdiocese of San Francisco and attends mass at St. Dominic’s Church.

She will be competing in the deadlift and bench press divisions, lifting lighter weights in preparation for the competition to avoid trouble with her coach.

This year, Farrell has set new goals for herself as she prepares to compete in her first powerlifting competition.

“Lifting a little lighter right now because the competition is on Saturday and I’ll get in trouble with my coach if I lift too heavy,” she explained.

She’ll be competing in the deadlift and bench press divisions at Iron Warehouse in Hayward this Saturday.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published.