On Saturday, June 5th, I ran up Custer Peak in the Black Hills. It was a recommended route on Trail Run Project and it did not disappoint.
I started at 5:26 am (Mountain Time, Suunto shows Central for some reason) from the trailhead next to Highway 385. The first couple miles is on rolling forest roads. Then it climbs sharply on gravel roads that become increasingly more technical, and finally on singletrack switchbacks up to the lookout tower. It was a beautiful warm morning with great views in every direction. I felt good but had to stop and use the woods on the way down. Should've planned better.
I submitted the ascent (48:44) as the FKT route but the only variation on here is up and down. ( 1:34:00 is rounded up since I did the ascent as a separate activity) I could definitely go faster but I made a Strava segment and there weren't any faster times. I consumed 8oz of water and no calories. I ran by myself and didn't see any other runners.