No particular interest in GL's life, and certainly don't see him as having any great insight -- that lots of others do not also have -- into racing strategies. Like a lot of racing advice, this works, if you can do it/get away with it.
It is not advice for "mid-pack" runners -- as most use that term. Rather, it is advice for someone who is in the lead pack at the mid-point of an elite championship race (e.g., NCAA XC), and who has the capability of launching an aggressive breakaway surge, and who thinks he/she can get away with it. As with all racing strategy advice, it is "great" advice if that person also has the capability of sustaining that breakaway to the finish. It is "ridiculous" advice if that person lacks that capability -- or lacks the capability in relation to the other runners -- but doesn't know it.
Moreover, it is irrelevant advice for almost anyone who has ever been on the starting line of such a race, because most runners will not be in the middle of that lead pack at the mid-point of the race, and for those few who are in that group at that point, most couldn't execute this surge in any case, and most already know that about themselves.
In addition to the problems of talent and fitness, there is the problem of self-knowledge, and awareness of the other athletes. As someone noted above with a group of historical examples -- sometimes this works, and when it does, it is memorable. (It's also memorable on occasion when it does not work. If I recall correctly, Webb surged aggressively at some point in his heat of the 2004 OG 1500, and it did not end well for him in that race.