The battle for the Ironman title continued to intensify Saturday afternoon inside the Legendary Lazy E Arena as Ketch Kelton (Mayer, Arizona) captured the Round Four victory while Taylor Santos (Creston, California) maintained command of the overall average at the 2026 Cinch Timed Event Championship.
Kelton delivered the fastest performance of the fourth go-round, completing the five disciplines in 49.0 seconds. His run included a 5.8-second heading, 14.6 seconds in tie-down roping, 6.4 seconds in heeling, 6.9 seconds in steer wrestling and 15.3 seconds in steer roping.
The strong performance pushed Kelton’s four-round total to 299.5 seconds and moved him firmly into the hunt as the competition heads toward the Championship Round.
While Kelton topped the round, Taylor Santos continued his steady performance to remain the overall average leader. Santos recorded a 71.3-second run in Round Four, highlighted by a 9.3-second heading, 21.4-second tie-down roping, 15.1-second heeling, 10.9-second steer wrestling and 14.6-second steer roping.
Those runs brought Santos’ four-round aggregate to 273.2 seconds, keeping the California cowboy firmly atop the standings as the race for the Cinch Timed Event Championship title and $100,000 payday heads into the final round of competition.
Trailing Santos in the overall average race is Ketch Kelton in second with 299.5 seconds, followed by Brushton Minton with 315.8 seconds. Coleman Proctor sits fourth with 355.6 seconds, while Seth Hall rounds out the top five with 358.2 seconds as the remaining athletes prepare for the Championship Round showdown.
All event results are available here.
Following Round four, the field was trimmed as the five competitors with the lowest aggregate times— Dalton Walker, Stetson Jorgenson, Quade Hiatt, Kyle Lockett, Russell Cardoza —were eliminated from the competition.
Championship Round Roster is as follows:
| Name | Honmetown | Average |
| Taylor Santos | Creston, California | 273.2 |
| Ketch Kelton | Mayer, Arizona | 299.5 |
| Brushton Minton | Witter Springs, California | 315.8 |
| Coleman Proctor | Pryor, Oklahoma | 355.6 |
| Seth Hall | Albuquerque, New Mexico | 358.2 |
| Zane Kilgus | Stephenville, Texas | 374.8 |
| Dylan Hancock | San Angelo, Texas | 395.4 |
| Paul David Tierney | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma | 413.3 |
| Clayton Hass | Weatherford, Texas | 420.1 |
| Wesley Thorp | Stephenville, Texas | 438.6 |
| Erich Rogers | Round Rock, Arizona | 456.2 |
| JC Flake | Milsap, Texas | 471.2 |
| Tyler Worley | Berryville, Arkansas | 475.5 |
| Blane Cox | Stephenville, Texas | 497.7 |
| Will Lummus | Byhalia, Mississippi | 513.7 |
Competition concludes Saturday night with the Championship Round, where the remaining 15 athletes will go head-to-head to determine the 2026 Cinch Timed Event Championship winner.
