Here’s a short informational piece related to — a common distance and surface in synthetic track racing. 6 Furlongs on Polytrack: A Test of Speed and Balance At 6 furlongs (3/4 of a mile, or 1,208 meters), few distances demand more raw speed. But when that race is run over Polytrack — a synthetic surface made of sand, rubber, and wax-coated fibers — the dynamics shift significantly from dirt or turf.