Fan favorite Coleman Proctor waited until age 40 to finally accept an invitation to the Cinch Timed Event Championship, and the Oklahoma cowboy is making the most of it.
Watch the Cinch Timed Event Championship
Proctor won Round 2 Friday at the Lazy E Arena with a five-event time of 66.0 seconds worth $3,000, moving him into second place in the overall standings after 10 head as the Ironman field trimmed from 25 competitors to 20.
Full Results: 2026 Cinch Timed Event Championship
California’s Taylor Santos leads the overall with a two-round aggregate of 138.7 seconds, while Proctor sits within striking distance heading into Round 3 Friday night and Rounds 4 and 5 Saturday.
“It’s kind of going my way around here,” Proctor said after the round. “Last night I went almost a hundred and I just told my wife, if I can clean up a few things—some of the silly stuff—I can get it going.”
After two rounds, the bottom five competitors—Riley Wakefield, Nelson Wyatt, Slade Wood, Cody Doescher and Justin Shaffer—were eliminated from the field. The remaining 20 competitors will compete in Rounds 3 and 4 before another cut trims the field to the final 15 for the fifth and deciding round Saturday night.
Proctor’s Round 2 win came after tightening up mistakes from the opening round and letting his experience across the events take over.
“If I can just clean a few things up, I feel like I can get it back,” Proctor said. “The barrier and the bulldogging don’t feel like as harsh a penalty—it’s easier to lose 10 seconds in the tripping—so if you stay sharp you can make it up.” Lazy E Arena 29
The nine-time National Finals Rodeo qualifier is competing in his first CTEC, but his strategy mirrors the model set by past champions like Trevor Brazile — consistency across all five events.
“I don’t think you can press in this event much,” Proctor said. “You’ve just got to go make good, solid runs across the board. That’s what made Trevor so great — he could make those sharp business-man runs in every event.” Lazy E Arena 29
Proctor’s horsepower has also been a key factor in his strong start, including standout performances from his horses in both the team roping and steer wrestling.
“He shows up to town like he knows his job,” Proctor said of his bulldogging horse, Zoom. “The horse is a gamer.” Lazy E Arena 29
With two rounds complete, Santos holds the lead in the overall standings, but Proctor’s Round 2 win tightened the race heading into the weekend’s final rounds.
Another cut will follow Saturday afternoon’s Round 4, leaving the final 15 competitors to battle it out in the fifth and final round for the coveted Ironman championship.
