KEYSTONE HEIGHTS – Chrissy Johnson slowly packed black, white and blue first responder flags and Krawl’n for the Fallen banners Sunday afternoon. 

Adrenalin had long been drained from her body, replaced by fatigue and gratitude. Three days of dust, heat and the sounds of more than 500 vehicles rumbling through the backwoods trails and obstacle course at the Florida International Rally and Motorsports Park had taken a toll on her.

But not her resolve to honor her brother-in-law, Vermont State Police Sgt. Michael W. Johnson, who was killed in 2003 during a traffic stop by a suspect who was trying to veer around spike sticks that Johnson had deployed during a chase. 

“I can’t wait to take a shower and sleep in a comfy bed,” she said. 

Johnson said the event, which usually generates more than $50,000, was another success. 

“We want to get everyone to know the survivors are our biggest, most important thing,” Johnson said. “We need to support law enforcement families because they need it.” 

Johnson started Krawl’n for the Fallen in 2015. Hundreds of spouses, families and loved ones have joined one of Off-Road United’s two off-road festivals, including the Jeeptoberfest at the Florida Horse Park in Ocala from Oct. 10-12, to share stories and find ways to cope. 

“We probably had 100 to 150 survivors here,” Johnson said. 

This year’s event was marred by a deadly plane crash about 225 yards from the obstacle course at the adjoining Keystone Heights Airport. Johnson said the aerobatic pilot who died was not associated with the Krawl’n event. 

The Keystone weekend culminates the Krawl’n year. It will return on Nov. 13-15 next year, coinciding with the closest date to Veterans Day. Off-Road United reported it remembered 165 fallen officers and 21 K-9 officers. 

First-time survivors were driven more than two miles on an off-road trail. At the conclusion of the “Survivor Ride,” they wiped away dirt caked on the side of the Jeep and were given a blue paint pen, and they were invited to scribe any message to their fallen loved one. The Jeep is a perpetual four-wheeled monument. 

The Clay County and Bradford County sheriff’s offices showcased their off-road capabilities, along with displays from the Florida Fish and Wildlife and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.