Shania Johnston made what could be the fastest breakaway roping runs ever recorded at The American Rodeo Central Regional Semifinals in Oklahoma City with a 1.29.

The 32-year-old Durant, Oklahoma, cowgirl made fast times all afternoon before lightning struck in the redemption round with a 1.29 that shocked everyone who witnessed it. Riding her 23-year-old mare “McCall,” a horse she’s trusted since her high school days, Johnston delivered one of the fastest showings ever seen.

Q: Let’s talk about the run—walk me through that 1.29.

A: It was obviously not planned out that way – it just kind of happened. It was a whirlwind of an afternoon – the redemption round was crazy. After I ran my first calf (in the redemption round), I knew what my first calf did and my third calf, but I didn’t know anything about the calf that I was the 1.29 on.

I told my friend after I roped my first one, ‘This is probably the craziest thing that I’ve ever been a part of,’ because all the girls were coming out and just laying down runs—it was insane. I had never been a part of anything like that – it was crazy.

My first calf in the redemption, I come out and I was a 1.7, which was a great run. And it’s crazy—I was thinking, “I don’t think that’s going to hold.” And obviously it didn’t.

Then I went and I ran my second calf. I was a 1.53 on that one, and I felt confident but still unsure. When I rode in the box, I didn’t know anything about the calf. I was just like, “I’ll just see my start, and I know what I’ve got to do. I’ve got to come across the line,” and that’s what I did – it just kind of happened.

I kind of blacked out, and I still was in shock. I couldn’t believe that it was a 1.2. I still don’t really believe it. I knew it was a good run—I just never dreamed it was that fast.

Q: People are already talking about that being one of the fastest runs ever—what does that mean to you?

A: I can’t even put that into words. I mean, that’s not really something that you think about happening. You think about going out there and upping your game and being faster, but to set a world record is nothing that I ever thought about. It is crazy and means a lot.

It’s very special that I got to do it on the horse that I rode. I’m just so glad—she’s the reason that I was that fast. She deserves every bit of credit for that. It’s so cool that I got to do it on her.

Q: Tell me about your horse.

A: Her name is McCall, registered as BKJ Sammy 203. She’s 23 years old. I’ve had her since she was four. My oldest sister bought her as a cutting reject with the idea to train and sell her, but she was very special.

I was a freshman in high school when I started riding her, and I’ve rode her ever since—high school, college rodeo, amateurs, pros, jackpots—everything. She is my main girl.

Q: What makes her so special?

A: I wish I could clone her over and over because she is so special. To run that many runs that fast and for her to not get tight or cheat me is huge.

We know each other like the back of our hands. I can trust her completely. I can reach and be on her neck and know she’s going to do her job. She just has so much heart and grit, and I think that’s what makes her really special.

Q: What has it taken to keep her going at this level?

A: After the 2024 Kimes Ranch roping, she had a suspensory injury, and then later tore a deep digital tendon. So, all last year I was mainly rehabbing her.

She’s still not quite 100 percent—she’s usable—so I just use her for the big stuff. I hadn’t really used her since Kimes and just pulled her out for yesterday.

Q: That horse ties back to your family, too—what does that mean to you?

A: My sister trained her, and she passed away two years ago. So every run I get on her is even more special—not only because of the horse, but because of my sister. She was a huge part of my success and my horse’s success.

Q: What was your game plan coming into the day?

A: I definitely did not plan on being that aggressive. I just planned on going out there and honestly roping every calf, knocking them down however they came to me, just taking my first available shot no matter what that looked like, because I knew it was going to be dirty fast to come back in the top 10.

I was also going to be aggressive at the line. You have to be sharp at the barrier because if you’re off of it, it definitely doesn’t get better down the arena. I definitely was going to be aggressive and take my first available shot—but never would’ve dreamed it was going to get as crazy as it did.

Q: How did you reset and stay sharp throughout the day?

A: After my fourth calf in the second round, I missed a really good calf—probably one of the easiest calves I’ve ever ran. I just didn’t stay aggressive.

I gave myself a few minutes to be upset, and then I was like, “Well, I have two choices here—I can either pack my stuff and go home, or I can regroup and come at them in the redemption round.”

I went outside to my trailer and roped the dummy, just trying to focus on being aggressive and staying sharp. I took a little bit of a break, chilled out, listened to some music, and talked to my mom. She’s probably one of my biggest supporters and always gets me in a good head space.

Q: What does your prep look like leading up to a setup like this?

A: Right now, my good horse—the one I rode yesterday—I don’t practice on her at all. I don’t even ride her. I pony her, exercise her, and do rehab therapy. I’ll get on her and score some, but during the week I just run some on my young ones and do a lot of slow work.

It’s actually hard for me to get ready to throw that fast because my young ones don’t need that. I do what I can at home, go to jackpots when I can, and really do a lot of slow work, visualization, and dummy work.

Q: How do you stay mentally locked in during a day like that?

A: I have a bad habit of overthinking and getting in my own way, so I really try to keep it simple and trust that I’ve put in the work.

Before I ride in the box, I just tell myself to go have fun and be aggressive. I try not to think—because when I do, I get myself in trouble. If I can relax, I know my body is going to go back to what I’ve done a million times.

Q: What does this kind of performance mean with everything still ahead this weekend?

A: It is very special. There were a lot of girls that showed up and roped their butts off, so to be one of the ones that made it through is amazing.

I just told myself I wanted to be happy no matter the outcome. As long as I went out there and roped my butt off and did what I can do, I’d let the chips fall where they may—and the chips fell in my favor.

Q: What’s the plan heading into the finals?

A: I’m not going to change anything. Just do some slow work, rope the dummy, get some rest, and make sure my horse is feeling good for tomorrow.