MT, I respectfully disagree. R2AK is not very far removed from the EC at all, only they had a better publicity machine and they rented a very nice tracker from the YC who developed it. If, and more than likely when, they do it again it will attract a bunch more people. Some of them will be high dollar efforts to be sure, but my guess is there will be a bunch more low-dollar-regular-folks showing up as well. And they won't need a $10K prize to motivate them.
The stuff we do isn't ever going to be a spectator event aside from a few thousand people hitting the refresh button on the tracker. What's the harm in that if it encourages a few dozen to start coming to North Carolina or Maryland or Minnesota to test their skills, experience, and endurance in a WT challenge? Even better is encouraging the folks who maybe aren't ready yet to step up their game in preparation for a future event.
I'm like you in that I'd hate to see it such that only sponsored, full-time atheletes could participate in our events. However, given the fact that it really isn't very spectator or TV-friendly, I don't see that as a possibility. My suggestion isn't really all that much more than what we are already doing anyway. All I'm thinking is adding a little bit of a media team to support all the races with the idea we can inspire participation in the other WT events on the calendar so that they become sustainable and also to potentially create new events in other parts of country or around the world. With the right amount of promotion, I don't see why there couldn't be 4-5 more 100 mile weekend-long Watertribe challenges around the country. The Great Lakes could possibly support two, one in Michigan and perhaps one in the 1000 Islands area on Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence. Something out west, perhaps around the San Jauns and Puget Sound. Back east I could see a Maine coastal challenge.
The main thing stopping any of this from happening is we need to generate more interest in these kinds of events. Some of this will come from the paddling community, but I think the biggest untapped potential is from the sailors who are tired of boring W/L round the cans racing, the arms race, handicaps, arcane rules and sea lawyers, and politics.
If the NCC, BBC, OFUM, OFC, and UF could each get two dozen more boats on the line, you'd have viable events that will no longer require the proceeds of the EC to fund their continued existence. How else are we going to get them there?