I need a little help - "get back on terms" and "break clear"

[Teppei]

Hi.

There's a sentence I don't understand in this article.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/3362355.stm

This is it.
Ethiopian-born Abeylegesse tried valiantly to get back on terms after Dibaba broke clear

What does "get back on terms" mean? From the context, I guess it's "catch up" or something, but I have no idea why the word "term" is used here.

Also I'm not sure about the meaning of "break clear". I think it's to get ahead of someone and widen the gap. Is that right?

Thanks in advance.

[PaulTB]

Ethiopian-born Abeylegesse tried valiantly to get back on terms after Dibaba broke clear.
I think it is missing a word.

The usual phrase is "to get back on even terms."

[Elizabeth]

Getting back on terms usually refers to getting back to a prior level of understanding or rapport with someone, but I haven't read the article so I'm not sure in this context.

[PaulTB]

but I haven't read the article so I'm not sure in this context.
You don't need to read the article - just look at the url.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/athletics/3362355.stm