BOSTON (AP) — One year after a pair of homemade pressure-cooker bombs killed three people and wounded more than 260 others, turning a day of athletic triumph into one of tragedy, the Boston Marathon returns to the streets on Monday. For the 118th edition of the world's oldest annual marathon, security along the course will be tighter than ever.

Some 36,000 athletes, including Kenyan and Ethiopian runners who are consistently ranked among the world's fastest, will run in the 118th Boston Marathon on Monday, putting the world-renown race back in the spotlight after it was marred by last year's bombing attack. Returning men's and women's champions Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia and Rita Jeptoo of Kenya are among the top-ranked runners expected to compete in the 26.2 mile race. But each faces a rival with a faster personal-best time: Dennis Kimetto of Kenya ran last year's Chicago Marathon in 2:03:45 and Ethiopia's Mare Dibaba turned in a 2:19:52 performance at the 2012 Dubois marathon.