For 32 years, Rieti has drawn some of the world's top track talent. They go to the Italian town looking for one last paycheck, courtesy of organizer Sandro Giovannelli. Sometimes they come to him begging, looking for one last opportunity to redeem their seasons.

One last chance to run fast. That's what Rieti is all about.

These days, the season doesn't exactly end at Rieti. There's still the World Cup coming up. More on that next week.

But Rieti is the end of the regular Grand Prix season. Hicham El Guerrouj came looking for one last shot at his own world record in the 1,500 meter. He set the world record in nearby Rome more than four years ago. In the time since then, he has run within two seconds of that mark six times, but he just can't seem to crack his own mark. (Not that anyone else can, either. The only other humans to run in that range have been former recordman Noureddine Morceli and Bernard Lagat, twice each.)

This time, the Moroccan followed the rabbit through an 800 meter in 1:49.14, then launched off on his own with 500 meters to go. He drove hard to a commendable 3:26.96 (the fifth-fastest time in history) but missed his 3:26.00 yet again. It will have to wait for another year, or another star.

Giovannelli convinced comebacking world record holder Wilson Kipketer to add one more race to his campaign, and no one ended up disappointed, as the Dane clocked the fastest 800 of the year, 1:42.32. The parade behind him was so close that European 1,500 champion Mehdi Baala's new French record of 1:43.15 placed him only fifth. This was the sort of race that should have American star David Krummenacker kicking himself for going home too soon.

Then there was Suzy Favor Hamilton, the enigmatic miler. Her season has been burning red-hot as she has neared its conclusion. She ran 3:59.10 at for second at Zurich, 3:59.40 for second at Berlin, and at Rieti she grabbed the win in 3:59.43, defeating a top-flight field. Only she and Mary Slaney among Americans have ever run three sub-fours in a season.

Looking for that one last race, these three middle distance stars can't have been too disappointed.

Good call, Maurice
Sometimes you feel like a nut, sometimes you don't. Maurice Greene knows what it's like to be hot. He has experienced victory time and again, but this summer, he found himself relying on distant memories.

Something's gone very wrong with the man's program, and he attributes it all to taking too much time off in the winter. Or was it the weight training. Whatever the case, and I'm sure he and coach John Smith are already looking ahead to the future.

In the meantime, while he has two races left (Saturday's Grand Prix Final and the Yokohama permit meeting), Greene has decided to give up his spot on the U.S. World Cup team. One can easily imagine a sigh of relief coming from the U.S coaching staff. Now they can enter Tim Montgomery, who has a legitimate shot to win.

And they keep winning
Opponents of drug use in sport have failed in their attempts to have the International Olympic Committee strip medals from the many East German athletes who won them with the help of performance-enhancing drugs. The damning evidence found in the files of the Stasi, East Germany's secret police, has instead worked to the advantage of the doped athletes. Now the German government has put together a compensation fund to aid the doped athletes, many of whom now face health problems as a result of their dosages.

Janvrin breaks world record
You've got to be impressed by decathlon veteran Kip Janvrin, who at age 37 has completed 80 of the grueling contests. Now you can be even more impressed. The Iowa native has broken the unofficial world record for the "double decathlon," winning the Double Decathlon World Championships in Turku, Finland.

In this bizarre and frightful event, competitors compete in an entire decathlon in one day, instead of the usual two. The next day, they do it again, for a grand total of 20 events. Janvrin scored 6,918 on day one and 7,273 the next day. That gave him a total of 14,185 points, beating the old best of 13,906, set 10 years ago.

And finally ...
Paal Arne Fagernes, a top Norwegian javelin thrower who used to compete for Arizona State (he won the NCAA title in 1996) is still making the headlines. Last weekend he spent a night in jail after reportedly stripping off his T-shirt, throwing beer and challenging security guards to a fight. All this to celebrate a friend's birthday.

Last year, he was fined for an infraction involving cocaine and amphetamines. He was also kicked off the Norwegian team for the World Champs after showing up drunk for an interview. The year before, he spent 18 days in jail for disturbing the peace. Back in 1997, he got 50 days for causing bodily harm and reckless driving.

All in all, it would appear that Fagernes is slowing down a bit with age. Says his manager, "He is a very nice boy, but he is weak when it comes to alcohol."

Jeff Hollobaugh, former managing editor of Track and Field News, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached by e-mail at michtrack@aol.com.