Some things you just have to have when you’re out on the road. For Denny Hemingson, Dean Brown, and Jeff McMahon, it's a daily run.

The three members of Tim McGraw's band, The Dancehall Doctors, complete a nightly show, hop on a bus, wake up at a new destination and start the day with a run. With as many as 250 shows a year (1994) to as few as 80 shows a year (2003), running helps the body and mind cope with a punishing tour schedule.

“It’s actually easier for us to find time to run on the road because there are fewer distractions and it becomes more routine,” said McMahon, 39, who plays keyboards. “Plus, there's no way to become bored with the same route because we're always running a new one in a different place.”

“On the road you always discover things and stumble upon unique shops and places that you didn't even know existed,” added Hemingson, 46, a former high school runner from Iowa who plays the steel guitar.

One of their favorite treks has been in Great Falls, Mont., where the “Rail for Trails” project took old railroad routes and converted them into trails suitable for running, walking, and cycling.

Of course, there are a few of those “getting lost” stories, one of which included their boss.

“We went out on a run in Wisconsin and Tim was with us. We were trying to do a loop but kept getting further and further away from where we started,” Hemingson said. “Finally we stopped at a gas station to ask for directions and some kids drove up in a car headed for the Tim McGraw concert — they actually had his CD playing in their car. So we hit them up for a ride.”

The fans drove McGraw and Brown back to the concert site; Hemingson and McMahon finally found their way back on foot.

Another time when McGraw joined the group, he was noticed by fans that asked for an autograph. Like any group of dedicated runners, stopping and breaking stride is unthinkable, so McGraw said he would gladly sign if they would get out and run the rest of the way with them.

“The fans pulled over and ran with us and Tim gave them the autographs when we finished,” said McMahon, the fastest runner of the group.

He completed the 1995 White Rock Marathon in Dallas in four hours, 40 minutes.

All three band members have completed marathons, a goal each set while training and touring at the same time.

“Running helps in so many ways,” Hemingson said. “You feel so much better moving around onstage — you have more energy and it keeps the weight off.

As for McMahon, an 11-year veteran with the band, daily runs have helped him weather the rigors of traveling.

“I don’t want to look like I’ve been on the road. It’s also a great diversion. Sometimes it’s the only thing that goes on that day that’s not about the show. Plus, you don’t have to find weights or a gym, you just grab your shoes and go,” he said.

McMahon’s first marathon in White Rock was one to remember.

“The most notable part of the marathon was how cold it was,” said McMahon, who has also completed the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. “Every water stop was covered in ice from the water cups that were thrown down on the street. I’m sure some people slipped but luckily I wasn't one of them.”

Hemingson and Brown thought it was time that they completed a 26.2-mile trek so both signed up for the New York Marathon lottery, and were chosen. Last month in a field of 35,000, the two musicians completed their journey.

“It was an amazing sea of people in every direction you looked,” said Brown, the 35-year-old fiddle player. “It was a pretty inspiring. Most of the way I was running behind a guy with a wooden leg. How could anyone say they can't do it after seeing something like that?”