Seth Hall knows the long game at the Cinch Timed Event Championship.
In the first round of five at the 2026 Cinch Timed Event Championship, the seven-time Ironman put together a solid start, stopping the clock at 65.6 seconds on five head. That run gave Hall the early lead over No. 2 man Taylor Santos, who finished the round at 69.8.
For Hall, the opening round was a little bit of everything.
“A little bit all over the board here,” Hall, 35, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, said. “There’s a lot of new guys. The cattle are dang sure tougher in the bulldogging, and the tripping.”
Every year at the Cinch Timed Event Championship, certain events play tougher than others, and Hall said this year’s setup showed early signs of that.
“It seems like the bulldogging and the tripping’s gonna be a little tricky,” Hall said. “But from what I see is that we have a dang great field of guys, and there’s some that have never been here. And them guys will battle back. I’ve been in them situations before. I’m just glad to get five under my belt and start for a good day tomorrow.”
The toughest test for Hall in Round 1 came in the steer wrestling.
“Our toughest event today was probably the bulldogging,” Hall said. “The steers are strong, and I’m no bulldogger. I bulldog five steers a year. I don’t practice.”
Full Results and Payout: 2026 Cinch Timed Event Championship
Even with limited practice, Hall managed to get through the run, though not without a little help. He had Tyler Pearson hazing for him in the bulldogging, a pairing that proved critical.
“I got off a little early, and Tyler seen it,” Hall said. “He really got in front of that steer and shut him down and gave him a little more left so I could get my hands on him.”
Hall admitted he nearly made a costly mistake.
“I almost fouled myself by getting off early,” he said. “But Tyler Pearson saved the day.”
While bulldogging isn’t a big part of Hall’s regular routine, the rest of the timed-event disciplines are. When he’s home after rodeo season, his days are spent horseback.
“When I get home rodeoing in September, come October, November, December, I’m heading and heeling and tripping steers on a daily basis,” Hall said.
He keeps a full barn of horses and stays busy riding and roping.
“I keep about 10 to 15 horses at home, 10 of my personal horses and some outside horses, and we’re team roping every day,” he said.
Hall also competes in team roping at circuit rodeos, though he admits his priorities are shifting as his career progresses.
“I really enjoy team roping, but now I’m getting older,” he said. “I’ve got a few years left in the calf roping, and I better do all I can to focus on the calf roping until I’m a full-time team roper.”
For now, though, his focus remains on surviving the grind of the CInch Timed Event Championship. With four rounds still ahead, Hall isn’t letting one good round change his approach.
“I don’t want to get too high, I don’t want to get too low,” Hall said. “We’ve got a long way to go.”
Coleman Proctor (Pryor, Oklahoma) and Wesley Thorp (Stephenville, Texas) tied for the fastest time in the heading with runs of 8.1 seconds. Dylan Hancock (San Angelo, Texas) locked in the top tie-down roping time of 11.7 seconds. The fastest heeling time of the round was shared by Ketch Kelton (Mayer, Arizona) and Russell Cardoza (Terrebonne, Oregon) with runs of 6.6 seconds. Stetson Jorgensen (Blackfoot, Idaho) posted the top steer wrestling time with a 5.7-second run, while Thorp recorded the fastest steer roping time of the round with a 15.9-second run.
