10-Year Status applies to a racer who has completed 10 or more adult races (previously referred to as a veteran racer) and raced at least one adult race prior to 2019. Junior race finishes DO NOT apply to 10 year status.
Those with 10-Year Status may come and go from the race as they please without losing priority registration.
Those with 10-Year Status are not required to register to keep their spot if they plan to skip that year. However, it is poor form to repeatedly sign up and then decide not to race; that spot could otherwise have been used by a lottery winner.
Note that through a 2020 rule change called the 10-Year New Racer Repeal Rule, 10-Year Status is no longer available to new runners beginning with the 2021 results.