if some legit runners moved into their town and started cleaning up the local scene, their life would be ruined.
likewise, if they had to move somewhere with a legit & deep local scene (boston, socal, bay area, etc), they would go from being a big fish in small pond to barely cracking the top 20 in low-key races.
running against mediocre comp breeds mediocrity. and apparently running against legit comp breeds whining and complaining from slow guys.