Video: Alice Schmidt, Surprise Entrant in 1500 Finals at Olympic Trials

Alice Schmidt didn’t dwell on her eighth-place finish in the 1,500-meter final Sunday at the Olympic Trials in Eugene, OR.

Instead, the Coronado resident and Islanders volunteer track coach reflected on her good fortune of being in the race in the first place.

She had gone to bed Friday night thinking she had failed to make the final. She found out Saturday morning that she would be in the 13-woman field—thanks to a series of protests and appeals that led track officials to include Gabriele Anderson in the finals.

(See details of the reinstatement.)

“I feel like I found a dollar on a run,” Schmidt said after clocking 4 minutes, 9.64 seconds in the metric mile—not far behind Morgan Uceny’s winning time of 4:04.59. “And I gotta pick it up—and have the opportunity to run.”

Schmidt, 30, in the  June 25, said the 1500 will help her build strength for London. 

NBCOlympics.com has posted video of her race, which shows Schmidt running in lane 2 most of the way. She called it a way to keep from being boxed or jostled.

Afterward, she said she sees herself in the London title race, “and not just the final—the podium. That’s always the goal. Gotta work hard, try to make it.”

Her first race is the prelims Aug. 8. Semifinals are set for Aug. 9 and the finals Aug. 11.