diff --git a/src/cmd/dist/test.go b/src/cmd/dist/test.go
index 29a886f456..66ebdf92bf 100644
--- a/src/cmd/dist/test.go
+++ b/src/cmd/dist/test.go
@@ -828,9 +828,8 @@ func (t *tester) registerTests() {
 
 	if goos != "android" && !t.iOS() {
 		// There are no tests in this directory, only benchmarks.
-		// Check that the test binary builds but don't bother running it.
-		// (It has init-time work to set up for the benchmarks that is not worth doing unnecessarily.)
-		t.registerTest("bench_go1", "../test/bench/go1", t.goTest(), "-c", "-o="+os.DevNull)
+		// Check that the test binary builds.
+		t.registerTest("bench_go1", "../test/bench/go1", t.goTest(), ".")
 	}
 	if goos != "android" && !t.iOS() {
 		// Only start multiple test dir shards on builders,
diff --git a/test/bench/go1/fasta_test.go b/test/bench/go1/fasta_test.go
index af4fbac274..f8bfbf459a 100644
--- a/test/bench/go1/fasta_test.go
+++ b/test/bench/go1/fasta_test.go
@@ -8,8 +8,6 @@ import "runtime"
 
 // Not a benchmark; input for revcomp.
 
-var fastabytes = makefasta()
-
 func makefasta() []byte {
 	var n int = 25e6
 	if runtime.GOARCH == "arm" || runtime.GOARCH == "mips" || runtime.GOARCH == "mips64" {
diff --git a/test/bench/go1/gob_test.go b/test/bench/go1/gob_test.go
index f289fcca7c..9fc1677870 100644
--- a/test/bench/go1/gob_test.go
+++ b/test/bench/go1/gob_test.go
@@ -16,31 +16,28 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 )
 
-var (
-	gobbytes []byte
-	gobdata  *JSONResponse
-)
-
-func init() {
-	gobdata = gobResponse(&jsondata)
+func makeGob(jsondata *JSONResponse) (data *JSONResponse, b []byte) {
+	data = gobResponse(jsondata)
 
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
-	if err := gob.NewEncoder(&buf).Encode(gobdata); err != nil {
+	if err := gob.NewEncoder(&buf).Encode(data); err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
-	gobbytes = buf.Bytes()
+	b = buf.Bytes()
 
 	var r JSONResponse
-	if err := gob.NewDecoder(bytes.NewBuffer(gobbytes)).Decode(&r); err != nil {
+	if err := gob.NewDecoder(bytes.NewBuffer(b)).Decode(&r); err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
-	if !reflect.DeepEqual(gobdata, &r) {
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(data, &r) {
 		log.Printf("%v\n%v", jsondata, r)
 		b, _ := json.Marshal(&jsondata)
 		br, _ := json.Marshal(&r)
 		log.Printf("%s\n%s\n", b, br)
 		panic("gob: encode+decode lost data")
 	}
+
+	return
 }
 
 // gob turns [] into null, so make a copy of the data structure like that
@@ -61,33 +58,38 @@ func gobNode(n *JSONNode) *JSONNode {
 	return n1
 }
 
-func gobdec() {
-	if gobbytes == nil {
-		panic("gobdata not initialized")
-	}
+func gobdec(b []byte) {
 	var r JSONResponse
-	if err := gob.NewDecoder(bytes.NewBuffer(gobbytes)).Decode(&r); err != nil {
+	if err := gob.NewDecoder(bytes.NewBuffer(b)).Decode(&r); err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 	_ = r
 }
 
-func gobenc() {
-	if err := gob.NewEncoder(io.Discard).Encode(&gobdata); err != nil {
+func gobenc(data *JSONResponse) {
+	if err := gob.NewEncoder(io.Discard).Encode(data); err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 }
 
 func BenchmarkGobDecode(b *testing.B) {
-	b.SetBytes(int64(len(gobbytes)))
+	jsonbytes := makeJsonBytes()
+	jsondata := makeJsonData(jsonbytes)
+	_, bytes := makeGob(jsondata)
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	b.SetBytes(int64(len(bytes)))
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		gobdec()
+		gobdec(bytes)
 	}
 }
 
 func BenchmarkGobEncode(b *testing.B) {
-	b.SetBytes(int64(len(gobbytes)))
+	jsonbytes := makeJsonBytes()
+	jsondata := makeJsonData(jsonbytes)
+	data, bytes := makeGob(jsondata)
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	b.SetBytes(int64(len(bytes)))
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		gobenc()
+		gobenc(data)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/test/bench/go1/gzip_test.go b/test/bench/go1/gzip_test.go
index d3f98da11d..e73665b858 100644
--- a/test/bench/go1/gzip_test.go
+++ b/test/bench/go1/gzip_test.go
@@ -13,20 +13,19 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 )
 
-var (
-	jsongunz = bytes.Repeat(jsonbytes, 10)
-	jsongz   []byte
-)
+func makeGunzip(jsonbytes []byte) []byte {
+	return bytes.Repeat(jsonbytes, 10)
+}
 
-func init() {
+func makeGzip(jsongunz []byte) []byte {
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 	c := gz.NewWriter(&buf)
 	c.Write(jsongunz)
 	c.Close()
-	jsongz = buf.Bytes()
+	return buf.Bytes()
 }
 
-func gzip() {
+func gzip(jsongunz []byte) {
 	c := gz.NewWriter(io.Discard)
 	if _, err := c.Write(jsongunz); err != nil {
 		panic(err)
@@ -36,7 +35,7 @@ func gzip() {
 	}
 }
 
-func gunzip() {
+func gunzip(jsongz []byte) {
 	r, err := gz.NewReader(bytes.NewBuffer(jsongz))
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
@@ -48,15 +47,22 @@ func gunzip() {
 }
 
 func BenchmarkGzip(b *testing.B) {
+	jsonbytes := makeJsonBytes()
+	jsongunz := makeGunzip(jsonbytes)
+	b.ResetTimer()
 	b.SetBytes(int64(len(jsongunz)))
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		gzip()
+		gzip(jsongunz)
 	}
 }
 
 func BenchmarkGunzip(b *testing.B) {
+	jsonbytes := makeJsonBytes()
+	jsongunz := makeGunzip(jsonbytes)
+	jsongz := makeGzip(jsongunz)
+	b.ResetTimer()
 	b.SetBytes(int64(len(jsongunz)))
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		gunzip()
+		gunzip(jsongz)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/test/bench/go1/json_test.go b/test/bench/go1/json_test.go
index 782ef7674c..963127be27 100644
--- a/test/bench/go1/json_test.go
+++ b/test/bench/go1/json_test.go
@@ -15,11 +15,6 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 )
 
-var (
-	jsonbytes = makeJsonBytes()
-	jsondata  = makeJsonData()
-)
-
 func makeJsonBytes() []byte {
 	var r io.Reader
 	r = bytes.NewReader(bytes.Replace(jsonbz2_base64, []byte{'\n'}, nil, -1))
@@ -32,12 +27,12 @@ func makeJsonBytes() []byte {
 	return b
 }
 
-func makeJsonData() JSONResponse {
+func makeJsonData(jsonbytes []byte) *JSONResponse {
 	var v JSONResponse
 	if err := json.Unmarshal(jsonbytes, &v); err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
-	return v
+	return &v
 }
 
 type JSONResponse struct {
@@ -55,16 +50,16 @@ type JSONNode struct {
 	MeanT    int64       `json:"mean_t"`
 }
 
-func jsondec() {
+func jsondec(bytes []byte) {
 	var r JSONResponse
-	if err := json.Unmarshal(jsonbytes, &r); err != nil {
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(bytes, &r); err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 	_ = r
 }
 
-func jsonenc() {
-	buf, err := json.Marshal(&jsondata)
+func jsonenc(data *JSONResponse) {
+	buf, err := json.Marshal(data)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
@@ -72,15 +67,20 @@ func jsonenc() {
 }
 
 func BenchmarkJSONEncode(b *testing.B) {
+	jsonbytes := makeJsonBytes()
+	jsondata := makeJsonData(jsonbytes)
+	b.ResetTimer()
 	b.SetBytes(int64(len(jsonbytes)))
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		jsonenc()
+		jsonenc(jsondata)
 	}
 }
 
 func BenchmarkJSONDecode(b *testing.B) {
+	jsonbytes := makeJsonBytes()
+	b.ResetTimer()
 	b.SetBytes(int64(len(jsonbytes)))
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		jsondec()
+		jsondec(jsonbytes)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/test/bench/go1/revcomp_test.go b/test/bench/go1/revcomp_test.go
index c2e2c39baf..f3bcf0f84d 100644
--- a/test/bench/go1/revcomp_test.go
+++ b/test/bench/go1/revcomp_test.go
@@ -78,8 +78,10 @@ func revcomp(data []byte) {
 }
 
 func BenchmarkRevcomp(b *testing.B) {
-	b.SetBytes(int64(len(fastabytes)))
+	bytes := makefasta()
+	b.ResetTimer()
+	b.SetBytes(int64(len(bytes)))
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		revcomp(fastabytes)
+		revcomp(bytes)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/test/bench/go1/template_test.go b/test/bench/go1/template_test.go
index b7e98d5c20..86d96a9571 100644
--- a/test/bench/go1/template_test.go
+++ b/test/bench/go1/template_test.go
@@ -49,9 +49,9 @@ func stripTabNL(r rune) rune {
 	return r
 }
 
-var tmpl = template.Must(template.New("main").Parse(strings.Map(stripTabNL, tmplText)))
+func makeTemplate(jsonbytes []byte, jsondata *JSONResponse) *template.Template {
+	tmpl := template.Must(template.New("main").Parse(strings.Map(stripTabNL, tmplText)))
 
-func init() {
 	var buf bytes.Buffer
 	if err := tmpl.Execute(&buf, &jsondata); err != nil {
 		panic(err)
@@ -60,17 +60,22 @@ func init() {
 		println(buf.Len(), len(jsonbytes))
 		panic("wrong output")
 	}
+	return tmpl
 }
 
-func tmplexec() {
-	if err := tmpl.Execute(io.Discard, &jsondata); err != nil {
+func tmplexec(tmpl *template.Template, jsondata *JSONResponse) {
+	if err := tmpl.Execute(io.Discard, jsondata); err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
 }
 
 func BenchmarkTemplate(b *testing.B) {
+	jsonbytes := makeJsonBytes()
+	jsondata := makeJsonData(jsonbytes)
+	tmpl := makeTemplate(jsonbytes, jsondata)
+	b.ResetTimer()
 	b.SetBytes(int64(len(jsonbytes)))
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
-		tmplexec()
+		tmplexec(tmpl, jsondata)
 	}
 }