not that he needs defending but,
Some of you are missing his message. Hodge is simply teaching us that this is a fairly simple sport and your potential can be uncovered with some straightforward methods and common sense training.
You can get most of the way there(if not all the way) as a runner in Buffalo NY or Boulder CO.
You do not have to have a team of scientists or miles of trails at altitude to find out what you have inside of yourself as an athlete.
The model is clear, the examples have been made, the experiment has proven correct. Proper Mileage, common sense workouts, consistency, delayed gratification and belief are the most important elements.
What Hodge is saying or at least what I am hearing, is cover your basics first. Don't look for a magic bullet. Don't buy into the notion you will never develop as a runner unless you have the convenience of altitude, coaching, prime location.
Hodgie-San is not stupid. He knows that if you develop to a certain level and you want to explore the possible benefits of altitude to further your development that that certainly is an option, but "it ain't the only option and it ain't a requirement".