diff --git a/pytest/pytest.go b/pytest/pytest.go
index 54d4b980..7dbd6f3d 100644
--- a/pytest/pytest.go
+++ b/pytest/pytest.go
@@ -18,8 +18,8 @@ import (
 	"github.com/go-python/gpython/vm"
 )
 
-// Run the code in str
-func Run(t *testing.T, prog string) {
+// Compile the program in the file prog to code in the module that is returned
+func compileProgram(t testing.TB, prog string) (*py.Module, *py.Code) {
 	f, err := os.Open(prog)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("%s: Open failed: %v", prog, err)
@@ -43,26 +43,30 @@ func Run(t *testing.T, prog string) {
 	code := obj.(*py.Code)
 	module := py.NewModule("__main__", "", nil, nil)
 	module.Globals["__file__"] = py.String(prog)
+	return module, code
+}
 
-	_, err = vm.Run(module.Globals, module.Globals, code, nil)
+// Run the code in the module
+func run(t testing.TB, module *py.Module, code *py.Code) {
+	_, err := vm.Run(module.Globals, module.Globals, code, nil)
 	if err != nil {
 		if wantErr, ok := module.Globals["err"]; ok {
 			wantErrObj, ok := wantErr.(py.Object)
 			if !ok {
-				t.Fatalf("%s: want err is not py.Object: %#v", prog, wantErr)
+				t.Fatalf("want err is not py.Object: %#v", wantErr)
 			}
 			gotExc, ok := err.(py.ExceptionInfo)
 			if !ok {
-				t.Fatalf("%s: got err is not ExceptionInfo: %#v", prog, err)
+				t.Fatalf("got err is not ExceptionInfo: %#v", err)
 			}
 			if gotExc.Value.Type() != wantErrObj.Type() {
-				t.Fatalf("%s: Want exception %v got %v", prog, wantErrObj, gotExc.Value)
+				t.Fatalf("Want exception %v got %v", wantErrObj, gotExc.Value)
 			}
-			t.Logf("%s: matched exception", prog)
+			// t.Logf("matched exception")
 			return
 		} else {
 			py.TracebackDump(err)
-			t.Fatalf("%s: Run failed: %v at %q", prog, err, module.Globals["doc"])
+			t.Fatalf("Run failed: %v at %q", err, module.Globals["doc"])
 		}
 	}
 
@@ -70,18 +74,18 @@ func Run(t *testing.T, prog string) {
 	if doc, ok := module.Globals["doc"]; ok {
 		if docStr, ok := doc.(py.String); ok {
 			if string(docStr) != "finished" {
-				t.Fatalf("%s: Didn't finish at %q", prog, docStr)
+				t.Fatalf("Didn't finish at %q", docStr)
 			}
 		} else {
-			t.Fatalf("%s: Set doc variable to non string: %#v", prog, doc)
+			t.Fatalf("Set doc variable to non string: %#v", doc)
 		}
 	} else {
-		t.Fatalf("%s: Didn't set doc variable at all", prog)
+		t.Fatalf("Didn't set doc variable at all")
 	}
 }
 
-// Runs the tests in the directory passed in
-func RunTests(t *testing.T, testDir string) {
+// find the python files in the directory passed in
+func findFiles(t testing.TB, testDir string) (names []string) {
 	files, err := ioutil.ReadDir(testDir)
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Fatalf("ReadDir failed: %v", err)
@@ -89,9 +93,30 @@ func RunTests(t *testing.T, testDir string) {
 	for _, f := range files {
 		name := f.Name()
 		if !strings.HasPrefix(name, "lib") && strings.HasSuffix(name, ".py") {
-			name := path.Join(testDir, name)
-			t.Logf("%s: Running", name)
-			Run(t, name)
+			names = append(names, name)
 		}
 	}
+	return names
+}
+
+// RunTests runs the tests in the directory passed in
+func RunTests(t *testing.T, testDir string) {
+	for _, name := range findFiles(t, testDir) {
+		t.Run(name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			module, code := compileProgram(t, path.Join(testDir, name))
+			run(t, module, code)
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+// RunBenchmarks runs the benchmarks in the directory passed in
+func RunBenchmarks(b *testing.B, testDir string) {
+	for _, name := range findFiles(b, testDir) {
+		module, code := compileProgram(b, path.Join(testDir, name))
+		b.Run(name, func(b *testing.B) {
+			for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
+				run(b, module, code)
+			}
+		})
+	}
 }
diff --git a/vm/benchmarks/fib.py b/vm/benchmarks/fib.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..18c69a5a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vm/benchmarks/fib.py
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# Copyright 2019 The go-python Authors.  All rights reserved.
+# Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+# license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+# Benchmark adapted from https://github.com/d5/tengobench/
+doc="fib recursion test"
+def fib(n):
+    if n == 0:
+        return 0
+    elif n == 1:
+        return 1
+    return fib(n - 2) + fib(n - 1)
+
+fib(25)
+doc="finished"
diff --git a/vm/benchmarks/fibtc.py b/vm/benchmarks/fibtc.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1b8b5f73
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vm/benchmarks/fibtc.py
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+# Copyright 2019 The go-python Authors.  All rights reserved.
+# Use of this source code is governed by a BSD-style
+# license that can be found in the LICENSE file.
+
+# Benchmark adapted from https://github.com/d5/tengobench/
+doc="fib tail call recursion test"
+def fib(n, a, b):
+    if n == 0:
+        return a
+    elif n == 1:
+        return b
+    return fib(n-1, b, a+b)
+
+fib(35, 0, 1)
+doc="finished"
diff --git a/vm/vm_test.go b/vm/vm_test.go
index 51aa30e3..f1686207 100644
--- a/vm/vm_test.go
+++ b/vm/vm_test.go
@@ -13,3 +13,7 @@ import (
 func TestVm(t *testing.T) {
 	pytest.RunTests(t, "tests")
 }
+
+func BenchmarkVM(b *testing.B) {
+	pytest.RunBenchmarks(b, "benchmarks")
+}