Abingtons trio to ride in the Pan-Mass Challenge

LA PLUME TOWNSHIP, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Three Lackawanna County natives are training for the ride of a lifetime.

One of them is a two-time Olympian, who is dedicating her athleticism to a charitable cause.

Blink and you might miss this trio buzzing around the Abingtons. They’re gearing up for the upcoming Pan-Mass Challenge in Boston, Massachusetts; a bike-a-thon fundraiser for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

“My dad died of cancer, and I also started an exercise program for cancer patients and survivors, that had to shut down with covid, so I feel like if I can’t be doing that, I want to do something,” said Abby Peck from Waverly.

Peck competed in the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympic Games for women’s rowing.

Now, she and her teammates Tom and Elaine Lavelle of Clarks Green are preparing for the challenge that involves biking 200 miles in two days on the first weekend in August. It’s the Lavelle’s eighth year participating.

“I used to call Abby my ‘Vitamin A’ I met her as one of her clients in her exercise program, I’ve had breast cancer twice. I’ve ridden in the pan-mass twice knowing that I had breast cancer and worked my treatment around my pann-mass schedule because it was just that important to me,” explained Lavelle.

The trio has raised more than $13,000 for the fundraiser.

Their ride isn’t complete without these special ribbons honoring close friends and family whose lives have been touched by cancer.

“Having that on our back, it shows other people just how many ribbons there are, how much cancer reaches out and touches people, a lot of people, and so we feel really, really good about wearing it,” added Tom Lavelle.

Together, they will get closer by the mile to a world without cancer.

“I would just like to send out lots of love and hugs to all of my exercisers, some of whom are survivors, and some of whom are not, and just know that I will be taking all of them with me on this ride,” continued Peck.

The pan-mass challenge raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country.

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