No summer vacation for running back Gore

SANTA CLARA -- The 49ers have a monthlong vacation before training camp begins, but don't expect to see Frank Gore, a Miami native, sipping piña coladas on South Beach this July.

Instead, Gore will be a few miles to the west of the Miami beachfront, laboring up and down one of the highest hills in South Florida while tethered to a truck tire. It's a grueling regimen Gore has performed since high school, and no amount of fame or money -- the Pro Bowler signed a $28 million deal in March -- will change that.

"You've got to sweat if you're going to be successful in this sport," Gore said this week.

And sweat he will. The average high temperature in Miami in July is 89.5 degrees, which ought to aid Gore in shedding a few pounds before the start of the season.

When players were weighed earlier this month, Gore came in at 215 pounds, which is about what he weighed last season. The running back, however, wants to drop about five pounds by September, which he believes will allow him to finish more of his runs in the end zone.

After finishing with an NFC-best 1,695 rushing yards last season, Gore is gunning for more than 2,000 yards this year.

The coaching staff certainly will give him the opportunity.

Coach Mike Nolan has said that he wants Gore to get between 20 and 25 carries per game in 2007. If Gore averages 24 carries a game and has the same yards-per-carry average he had last season -- 5.4 yards -- he would finish with 2,074 yards.

Supplemental information

The word out of Athens, Ga., is that cornerback Paul Oliver, one of two players eligible for next month's supplemental draft, was clocked between 4.5 and 4.6 seconds in the 40-yard dash during his private workout. That's just about what the 49ers were expecting from the Georgia product, whom they felt would have been a second-day selection had he been part of the 2008 draft.

The 49ers also attended the workout of Nebraska offensive tackle Chris Patrick this week. A third player, Maryland offensive tackle Jared Gaither, also could make himself available for the supplemental draft, which will be July 12.

Gaither, who stands 6-foot-7 and weighs 350 pounds, must decide in the coming days whether to enter the draft or return to Maryland in the fall and hope to play with the team in 2008.

Summer camp

The 49ers and linebacker Tully Banta-Cain will host a three-day football camp at their Santa Clara headquarters July 10-12. Boys and girls ages 7-14 are invited. The cost to register is $285.

About the writer:

• The Bee's Matthew Barrows can be reached at mbarrows@ sacbee.com.