The “airport dash” is not an officially-timed high school track event. Don’t tell that to Elise Lambert.

Just how the recent Souhegan High graduate matriculates the distance from jetway to baggage claim with a relay leg to central parking could be the difference between super and momentous in her final weekend of competition in Sabers’ Black-and-Gold.

“It’s a busy week ahead of me,” said Lambert. “Thursday night, I’m flying to Nationals and Friday morning, we are running our (4×800) relay there (at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro). Then, I fly home Friday night, and I have to be ready to compete in the State Heptathlon Saturday and Sunday (at Nashua High School South).”

Talk about cutting things close. But keeping busy, when it comes to track and field, is old hat for Lambert, a multi-event dynamo this spring.

“I’m usually the first one here to practice and the last one to leave,” said Lambert, who has been competing in track since the age of 4. “I make sure I have all the bases covered.”

What a whirlwind couple of weeks it has been for Lambert.

Time was running out.

As amazing as her four years on the Souhegan High girls track team has been, rolling up a decade worth of points, Lambert had never won an individual state championship.

Everything that had driven her through this spring, a string of Saturday sparklers where Lambert flashed brilliance in the 800 meters, 300 hurdles, high jump and triple jump, would be basically rendered limp if she couldn’t finish the job at the Division II State Meet.