In the race I had to hurry back (3)
I believe the answer is:
hie
'hurry back' is the definition.
'hie' can be an answer for 'hurry' (historical word meaning go quickly or hasten). I am unsure of the 'back' bit.
'in the race i had' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite understand how this works, but
'i' is within the answer.
The remaining letters 'he' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).
'to' acts as a link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for hie that I've seen before include "Make one's way quickly" , "make haste" , "Hurry" , "Be quick (lit.)" , "Hasten" .)