"[What's] up with this hill work?" McKinnon asked Rice via Twitter.
Jerick, in case you are reading, "The Hill" refers to a four-mile trail at Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve in Redwood City, California. It's where Rice, along with teammate Roger Craig and several other players, used to do endurance work.
McKinnon's willingness to take on "The Hill" is a sign that his rehab from a torn ACL is going well. The running back suffered the injury on September 1 and had surgery 10 days later to repair the damage.
"That hill was pretty much the fourth quarter for me," Rice once told Daniel Brown, now of The Athletic. "It taught me how to be able to endure -- in pain -- and still perform at a very high level. You have to challenge yourself. And that's what I did in the off-season."
Rice still runs "The Hill" to this day,
"It was the toughest thing I ever did in my life," Craig said. "I threw up a couple of times going up this trail. I was a football player. I'd never run that far."
McKinnon is expected to be healthy for the start of the 2019 season and figures to be a big part of head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who suffered a torn ACL just weeks after McKinnon, also figures to be ready to go for the upcoming season.
H/t to Patrick Tulini for the find.
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
49ers still sorting out two key roles ahead of Australia trip
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was asked Monday about two of the more intriguing roster competitions coming out of training camp and the preseason: the starting left guard position and who will serve as Christian McCaffrey's primary backup at running back. When... -
Patrick Willis gives stamp of approval to 49ers rookie linebacker
The Jaden Dugger hype train got a little bigger Thursday night, courtesy of legendary San Francisco 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis. Willis took to social media while watching the 49ers in action in their preseason finale against the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday and gave... -
Why 49ers' Kyle Shanahan refused to name players who stood out vs. Raiders
A few San Francisco 49ers players made positive impressions on head coach Kyle Shanahan during Thursday night's preseason win over the Las Vegas Raiders. However, Shanahan opted to remain tight-lipped about his personnel evaluations, giving reporters little insight into his... -
49ers' Kyle Shanahan shifts focus to regular season: "It's going to get real, real fast"
The 2026 NFL preseason is in the books, and the San Francisco 49ers finished their exhibition schedule with an 18-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Now, the focus shifts to the regular season, with San Francisco set to face the Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne, Australia, in Week...