But marathon runner Martin Dent is giving everything he has got in Glasgow for a shot at stepping on to the podium.

It will be almost 12 months since his last competitive marathon when the starter's gun goes off for the opening event of the athletics program on Sunday night (Australian time).

His 23rd place at last year's world championships in Russia meant he had automatically qualified for his second Commonwealth Games.

Dent, 35, admits the temptation is to push on for one last hurrah in 2018 on home soil on the Gold Coast.

He finished sixth in the marathon at the 2010 Commonwealth Games at New Delhi and says he learnt some valuable lessons from that race.

"I ended up with a good finishing position, but I did slow down a lot in the second half,'' Dent said.

"Lots of others just slowed more.

"It was hot, but I think if I could have been a little more conservative in the first half I may have been able to improve a place or two.''

Like most marathon runners, Dent had a background in middle distance events before he moved up to the 42.195-kilometre journey.

He started with the 3000-metre steeplechase and continued in the 3000m, 5000m and 10,000m on the track, even when he completed his first marathon Fukuoka in 2002.

Dent set his personal best of 2:12.23 three years ago and finished a credible 28th in his Olympic Games debut in London at the age of 32.

His performance at the world championships has allowed Dent the luxury to modify his training without the stress of chasing immediate results.

He broke a long-standing course record in the Kepler Challenge, a 60-kilometre trail race in New Zealand, before he missed a turn in the Sixfoot Track 45-kilometre trail race.

That added 1.5km on to his distance and saw him finish three minutes behind the winner.

"It meant I didn't have to decide whether I should try and improve my qualifying position by running another marathon,'' Dent said.

"I could concentrate on my plans for the Commonwealth Games marathon.''

Those plans include checking out the course in Glasgow.

"I have looked at in on maps and it seems like it could be fairly fast,'' Dent said.

"It is comprised of two mostly flat laps around Glasgow.

"If the weather conditions are cool and not windy, it could be a fast day.

"Running a smart race, through optimal pace judgement in the early part of the race, will be the key to running well.''

Dent's wife Kathie and their four children will be watching the race from Canberra, while his parents and UK-based brother and cousins will be cheering him on.

It's been a busy time, with the couple's oldest child in kindergarten, twins in pre-school and youngest born last year.

"We have spreadsheets to make sure everything gets done - school and childcare pickups, running, food shopping etc,'' Dent said.

"It's going well at the moment, but I think Kathie is looking forward to me getting back and having some down time in training.''