The two-time Cinch Timed Event Champion Paul David Tierney must hold off last-minute alternate Thomas Smith and first-time competitor Blane Cox as they enter the final round of the 2024 Lazy E Ironman in a tight battle for the $100,000 title.

Tierney, at 262.5, has a 1.2-second lead over Smith, at 263.7. Cox, a two-time NFR tie-down roper, trails Smith by 22.7 seconds.

The Cinch Timed Event Championship is an annual guarantee for Tierney after 13 appearances, winning the title in 2014 and setting the aggregate record of 267.9 seconds on 25 head to win the title again in 2016.

For Smith, the Cinch Timed Event Championship was a complete surprise, having gotten the call just four days before the start of the event as a last-minute fill in for Tyler Waters. In Smith’s only previous appearance at the CTEC in 2020, he showed up unprepared, Smith said, without enough help. This year, despite the short notice, Smith was ready. He finished fourth in three rounds and eighth in another.

Cinch Timed Event Championship’s Game of Averages

Smith has averaged 9.85 seconds in the heading, 19.25 in the tie-down, 8.77 in the heeling, 8.97 in the bull dogging and 18.8 seconds in the tripping.

Tierney has out-performed Smith in three of the Cinch Timed Event Championship’s five events. Tierney averaged 8.57 in the heading, 18.55 in the calf roping, 12.22 in the heeling (with his average time in that event skewed after a wild fourth round run that stopped the clock in 18.8 seconds), 6.45 seconds in the steer wrestling and 19.87 seconds in the steer roping.

Predictably, Cox, third in the average, has made his time up in the calf roping. Despite the big, hard running cattle, he’s averaged 13.2 seconds on four head in that event. Cox’s average times were slower than the two leaders in the heading (12.27 seconds), heeling (14.47 seconds) and tripping (24 seconds), but speedier than Smith in the bull dogging with a 7.07.

Who Didn’t Make the Cut at the 2024 Cinch Timed Event Championship?

After four rounds, the Cinch Timed Event Championship dropped the bottom five contestants. Cade Rice turned out after hurting himself in the steer wrestling in Round 3, while KC Jones, Cole Patterson, Roger Nonella and Kolton Schmidt also missed the cut.

Round Four Results (total on five head)

1. Marcus Theriot, 52.3 seconds, $3,000
2. Kolton Schmidt, 57.2 seconds, $2,000
3. Cody Doescher, 60.3 seconds, $1,000
4. Thomas Smith, 60.3 second
5. Blane Cox, 61 seconds
6. Clayton Hass, 65.2 seconds
7. Cole Patterson, 68.3 seconds
8. Seth Hall, 68.4 seconds
9. Paul David Tierney, 70.6 seconds
10. Dylan Hancock, 71.7 seconds 
11. Tyler Pearson, 72.6 seconds 
12. Jess Tierney, 73.4 seconds 
13. Nelson Wyatt, 74.7 seconds 
14. Brushton Minton, 76 seconds 
15. Erich Rogers, 86 seconds 
16. Billy Good, 96.5 seconds 
17. Russell Cardoza, 109.2 seconds 
18. Roger Nonella, 124.7 seconds
19. K.C. Jones, 179.7 seconds 
20. Cade Rice, 300 seconds

Aggregate After Round 4 (total on 20 head)

1. Paul David Tierney, 262.5 seconds
2. Thomas Smith, 263.7 seconds
3. Blane Cox, 284.1 seconds
4. Nelson Wyatt, 286.4 seconds
5. Cody Doescher, 287.2 seconds
6. Erich Rogers, 295.6 seconds
7. Jess Tierney, 314 seconds
8. Dylan Hancock, 322.5 seconds 
9. Russell Cardoza, 329.6 seconds 
10. Marcus Theriot, 343 seconds
11. Clayton Hass, 364.8 seconds
12. Seth Hall, 366.1 seconds
13. Tyler Pearson, 367.6 seconds 
14. Brushton Minton, 392.6 seconds 
15. Billy Good, 418.6 seconds 

Contestants Not Advancing to Round 5

16. Kolton Schmidt, 423.8 seconds
17. Roger Nonella, 454.4 seconds 
18. Cole Patterson, 459.8 seconds 
19. K.C. Jones, 487.6 seconds 
20. Cade Rice, 673 seconds