I've had quite a bit of experience not with the program itself, but with the coaches at a school in one of the poorest counties in Missouri. The school is larger, but many of the kids come from fairly impoverish conditions and families that offer little support for the kids. Many of these kids haven't experienced hardly any structure or discipline in their life, and only find it for four years with this team.
That being said, they're also the most successful team in state history, accumulating a ridiculous amount of trophies in the 35+ years with this coach. That's no accident, and is all part of the formula that they've perfected. Understandably, this has come with scrutiny from outsiders, but I believe this scrutiny is misplaced because of misunderstanding.
First and foremost, it's a team with a culture built on pride - each runner on the team knows this and understands this. When you walk in the locker room, you're surrounded by trophies spanning decades. Each runner knows that nearly every team before them has stood on the podium (top-4) at the state meet, and they not only want to be atop this podium - they're expected to be. They know that they're running more miles and running them all harder than anyone else in the state, and that adds to the infectious culture of pride that they exhibit throughout the rest of their life.
Secondly, they're trained with discipline and accountability. From the outside, it appears a bit militaristic, and certainly not on par with the traditional image of a high school cross country program. The head coach and several assistants come from a military background, and much of practice is obviously inspired by this. Leadership is heavily stressed both outside and inside team circles, and the runners get disciplined structure from both coaches and teammates. It's a culture there.
Third, they run - a LOT. It's an outdated system to some, and many disagree with how many miles these kids are prescribed. Often times, varsity members are doing 80+ miles before their senior years. But, it gets these kids fit, and puts them with some of the best inside and outside of the state. It adds to the respect they've achieved from others, and is a central part of the team culture.
Many may say that this much mileage is stupid, that it prevents them from developing in college, etc., but with this, you have to look at how many kids from these programs are actually GOING to college - for many, this much mileage leads to some of the only successful, structured, and winning times of their lives. To outsiders, it may not be worth it, but to the type of kids that are on this team, this is their chance to learn structure, self-discipline, character, and how to win in an area where winning is harder for kids in the larger and wealthier areas of the state.
This is all to say this: to succeed under these socioeconomic conditions, you have to give kids a culture to be part of and to be proud of. If they know that they are working towards something and learning character lessons from the program itself, the team will succeed, even without all of the physiological knowledge and funding of larger and wealthier areas. That is what this program has going for itself - pride and culture that has lasted (and will last) for decades. It's no coincidence that this team also has the largest and probably the proudest alumni base in the state, if not the country, and not by accident. Each person learned how to succeed with a team - a life skill that many lack, and may always lack. High school cross country was perhaps their single chance to do so.