race against the clock
1. noun An attempt to accomplish something in a short amount of time. After getting a flat tire, it was a race against the clock to make it to the airport in time.
2. verb To act quickly to accomplish something in a short amount of time. Jen's going to have to race against the clock if she wants to get her story in tomorrow's newspaper—it's almost time to send it to the publisher!
a ˌrace against ˈtime/the ˈclock
a situation in which you have to do something or finish something very fast before it is too late: It was a race against time to reach the shore before the boat sank.