I heard rumors that Drummond was giving away Run the Whites gift cards for this one. It also happens to be maybe the most iconic trail on New England's most notorious peak.
It was a little warm (mid-70s in the notch when I started), but otherwise perfect weather. I started shirtless with a full 500mL flask and two Gu gels. I ate one gel and drank most of the flask en route. I wore the VJ MaXx 2 trail runners. No trekking poles. I've been on the TRT a million times, mostly in the winter, but surprisingly have never taken the trail to the summit in the summer. It's fantastic--very runnable to HoJos, and then a couple thousand feet of steep, powerful, occasionally exposed power-hiking. Bombing down Tucks in the summer is exhilarating.
I tagged the summit in 1:03:44, dripping sweat and panting like an old dog. I snapped a photo at the summit marker and immediately started down, bounding past a number of bewildered tourists who had arrived at the same point by automobile (or so I guessed based on their dry button-downs and unlabored breathing).
I think this effort constitutes the summer FKT for a round-trip to the summit of Mount Washington, since Steve Lange's round trip on Lions Head (impressive as it is!) was done in winter conditions (which are much faster on this terrain). Either way, it's a supremely classic mountain running route.