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Rebecca Schmitt, a Colorado native, qualified for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with a time of 2:28:39. Her marathon times have significantly improved, showcasing her rediscovered passion for competitive running.
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Colorado native Rebecca Schmitt didnât move to the Albuquerque area 12 years ago with the intention of enhancing her running career. Thatâs just a bonus.
But, really, that running career itself is a bonus â a love rediscovered.
Schmitt, 33, qualified for the 2028 U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials with a time of 2 hours, 28 minutes, 39 seconds at the California International Marathon last Dec. 7 in Sacramento. She was the sixth-place womenâs finisher.
The startlingly rapid improvement in her marathon times, from 2:59.02 in the 2024 Boston Marathon to 2:35.08 at the 2024 California International to 2:33.58 in the June 2025 Grandmaâs Marathon (Duluth, Minnesota) to 2:28.39, well under the Olympic qualifying standard of 2:37, might seem less surprising in view of her running history.
The talent was always there.
As a high school senior in Loveland, Colorado, Schmitt won a Colorado state title in the 3200 meters on the track. The previous fall, she was the state cross-country runner-up. Those credentials earned her an athletic scholarship at Colorado State.
âI discovered that running was something that I liked and am passionate about pretty early on in life,â Schmitt said in a recent phone interview. âMy parents were both runners, so that instilled the passion early on.â
Yet, just one race into her college career, she dropped out.
âI was just really struggling with leaving home for the first time,â she said. âI had struggled off and on my senior of high school with disordered eating, which is really common for a lot of runners, male and female. ⊠I decided to take a hiatus on running and really focused on school.â
Schmitt earned a Bachelor of Science degree from CSU and another from the University of New Mexico after moving to Albuquerque in 2014; sheâd always had family here and always had love for the area. She has a Masterâs from UNM in chemical engineering as well.
Sheâs worked at Sandia National Labs as an electronics engineer the past eight years.
Running, meanwhile, over time had become less a passion than a pastime â a release. She entered a few fun runs; nothing serious.
âI wasnât training very hard,â she said, âand I wasnât running very consistently.â
Her impending 30th birthday, somehow, reignited that passion.
âI had the realization (that) running was something that has always been a part of me,â she said. â⊠I still had some dreams in the back of my mind as far as running competitively is concerned.
âAnd I had this realization that, âIâm turning 30. If I donât train for something now, I might never be able to do it. I might never be able to reach those goals.ââ
She ran the 2022 Duke City Half-Marathon in 1:38.00, good for fifth place among women. That, a few 10Ks and other half-marathons left her wanting more.
After running at Boston in April 2024, she decided to increase her weekly mileage.
Rebecca Schmitt qualified with a time of 2 hours, 28 minutes, and 39 seconds.
Her marathon times improved from 2:59:02 in 2024 to 2:28:39, showcasing rapid progress.
She achieved her Olympic qualifying time at the California International Marathon in Sacramento.
Rebecca Schmitt finished sixth among women at the California International Marathon.

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âI was averaging about 40 miles a week and doing some cross training,â she said. Thatâs not considered very high mileage for marathoning.
âI thought, âOK, I can run a lot faster than Iâm running right now. I can definitely cut more time off this thing if I really put in the effort.ââ
After increasing her weekly mileage to 70 miles, she saw the work pay off in Sacramento.
Life, work and training, combined on a daily basis, create a delicate balancing act.
Schmitt, her husband, Jason, and their âfour wonderful dogsâ live in Edgewood, but she does most of her training in Albuquerque.
Living at 6,600 feet and training at 5,000 has its advantages, but sleeping in is not one of them.
âOftentimes itâs getting up at 4:45 a.m., driving into Albuquerque, doing a morning workout along the Bosque with a friend, driving into work,â she said.
âYou have to juggle races around work, and then, of course, I care a lot about my job.â
Schmitt said her Flagstaff, Arizona-based coach, Lauren Hagans, a six-time All-American at Baylor and an accomplished runner at distances from 800 meters to the marathon, has helped her improve her times while maintaining that balance.
Albuquerque and environs have played a vital role as well.
Coloradoâs Front Range, where Schmitt grew up, is famously runner-friendly. But, she said, âI donât think it compares to Albuquerque.â
The 2028 U.S. womenâs Olympic Trials are scheduled for that March. St. Louis and Phoenix have submitted bids to host the event.