my guess is that as triathlons go mass-market, triathlete mag is trying to position itself as the “bicycling/runner’s world/men’s health” of triathlon. entry-level, quickly digestable, mass-market stuff.
i would expect a trend toward the word “abs” on every cover, lots more “your first triathlon” pieces, and more articles that focus on the bullet-point’ approach to nutrition, training, recovery, etc.
as for tom d’s dreams of something like ‘the economist’ or ‘foreign affairs’ or ‘janes’ . . . well, keep on dreamin’.
-mike