I believe when I did my 5 hours, was before the bronze badge existed, and I did it in an ASW-20 while doing gold distance/diamond goal.
Eastern US.
Thermals.
Film (no logger/GPS).
One film was cut mid flight, one was processed in a mall type color machine.... the Replogle barograph got me the 5 hours, but not distance.

A year or so later, I did the same flight during a drought in the northeast....took about 3 hours on thermals, but I got them.

Yes, since early '70's, our field has had CFI-G's that do XC as well as contests. We tend to shove peeps out and/or lead them out.
We always have people going somewhere, from kids to a "ripe old age".

XC/badge flying is not for everyone, but usually good to keep people in the sport for more than a year or so.