BY RUSSELL MARK (HIGH PERFORMANCE CONSULTANT)

It’s pretty clear that the trend in distance races is to six-beat kick the whole race. The evidence is strong: All six medalists in the distance races at the 2012 Olympics – 800 free (Ledecky, Belmonte, Adlington) and 1500 free (Sun, Cochrane, Mellouli) Five of eight finalists in both the 800 and 1500 at the 2012 Olympic Trials Grant Hackett’s 10-year World Record 14:34 at 2001 World Championships

The old two-beat kicking trend might have b...