diff --git a/scenario/run.go b/scenario/run.go
index a6e37fb..94b9542 100644
--- a/scenario/run.go
+++ b/scenario/run.go
@@ -93,7 +93,19 @@ func (s *Scenario) Run(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T) error {
 				defer cancel()
 			}
 
-			res, rterr := s.runSpec(specCtx, rt, to, idx, spec)
+			var res *api.Result
+			ch := make(chan runSpecRes, 1)
+
+			go s.runSpec(specCtx, ch, rt, to, idx, spec)
+
+			select {
+			case <-specCtx.Done():
+				t.Fatalf("assertion failed: timeout exceeded (%s)", to.After)
+				break
+			case runres := <-ch:
+				res = runres.r
+				rterr = runres.err
+			}
 			if rterr != nil {
 				break
 			}
@@ -115,14 +127,20 @@ func (s *Scenario) Run(ctx context.Context, t *testing.T) error {
 	return rterr
 }
 
+type runSpecRes struct {
+	r   *api.Result
+	err error
+}
+
 // runSpec executes an individual test spec
 func (s *Scenario) runSpec(
 	ctx context.Context,
+	ch chan runSpecRes,
 	retry *api.Retry,
 	timeout *api.Timeout,
 	idx int,
 	spec api.Evaluable,
-) (*api.Result, error) {
+) {
 	sb := spec.Base()
 	specTraceMsg := strconv.Itoa(idx)
 	if sb.Name != "" {
@@ -136,13 +154,15 @@ func (s *Scenario) runSpec(
 		// Just evaluate the test spec once
 		res, err := spec.Eval(ctx)
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+			ch <- runSpecRes{nil, err}
+			return
 		}
 		debug.Println(
 			ctx, "run: single-shot (no retries) ok: %v",
 			!res.Failed(),
 		)
-		return res, nil
+		ch <- runSpecRes{res, nil}
+		return
 	}
 
 	// retry the action and test the assertions until they succeed,
@@ -187,7 +207,8 @@ func (s *Scenario) runSpec(
 
 		res, err = spec.Eval(ctx)
 		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
+			ch <- runSpecRes{nil, err}
+			return
 		}
 		success = !res.Failed()
 		debug.Println(
@@ -200,13 +221,13 @@ func (s *Scenario) runSpec(
 		}
 		for _, f := range res.Failures() {
 			debug.Println(
-				ctx, "run: attempt %d after %s failure: %s",
-				attempts, after, f,
+				ctx, "run: attempt %d failure: %s",
+				attempts, f,
 			)
 		}
 		attempts++
 	}
-	return res, nil
+	ch <- runSpecRes{res, nil}
 }
 
 // getTimeout returns the timeout configuration for the test spec. We check for