diff --git a/.github/workflows/ci.yml b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
index cff694cf08c9e..962068f5698d0 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/ci.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/ci.yml
@@ -453,7 +453,7 @@ jobs:
           GOTESTSUM_JUNITFILE: ${{github.workspace}}/test-unit-root-junit.xml
           GOTESTSUM_JSONFILE: ${{github.workspace}}/test-unit-root-gotest.json
         run: |
-          make test
+          sudo -E PATH=$PATH make benchmark
           sudo -E PATH=$PATH make root-test
       - run: if [ -f *-gotest.json ]; then echo '# Root Test' >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY; teststat -markdown *-gotest.json >> $GITHUB_STEP_SUMMARY; fi
         if: always()
diff --git a/BUILDING.md b/BUILDING.md
index 2318ce1a06f82..438a386869786 100644
--- a/BUILDING.md
+++ b/BUILDING.md
@@ -260,7 +260,7 @@ During the automated CI the unit tests and integration tests are run as part of
  - `make root-test`: run all non-integration tests which require `root`
  - `make integration`: run all tests, including integration tests and those which require `root`. `TESTFLAGS_PARALLEL` can be used to control parallelism. For example, `TESTFLAGS_PARALLEL=1 make integration` will lead a non-parallel execution. The default value of `TESTFLAGS_PARALLEL` is **8**.
  - `make cri-integration`: [CRI Integration Tests](https://github.com/containerd/containerd/blob/main/docs/cri/testing.md#cri-integration-test) run cri integration tests
-
+ - `make benchmark`: ## run benchmarks tests
 To execute a specific test or set of tests you can use the `go test` capabilities
 without using the `Makefile` targets. The following examples show how to specify a test
 name and also how to use the flag directly against `go test` to run root-requiring tests.
diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 4d5e2f448f2cc..668d5aa899d4e 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -249,8 +249,7 @@ bin/loopback-v2: integration/failpoint/cmd/loopback-v2 FORCE
 
 benchmark: ## run benchmarks tests
 	@echo "$(WHALE) $@"
-	@$(GO) test ${TESTFLAGS} -bench . -run Benchmark -test.root
-
+	@$(GO) test ${TESTFLAGS} -bench . -run Benchmark  ./... -skip=vendor/...
 FORCE:
 
 define BUILD_BINARY
diff --git a/integration/client/benchmark_test.go b/integration/client/benchmark_test.go
index 82787c7f57102..7b627f8ef9c13 100644
--- a/integration/client/benchmark_test.go
+++ b/integration/client/benchmark_test.go
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ import (
 	"testing"
 
 	. "github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/client"
-	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/core/containers"
 	"github.com/containerd/containerd/v2/pkg/oci"
 )
 
@@ -40,11 +39,6 @@ func BenchmarkContainerCreate(b *testing.B) {
 		b.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	spec, err := oci.GenerateSpec(ctx, client, &containers.Container{ID: b.Name()}, oci.WithImageConfig(image), withTrue())
-	if err != nil {
-		b.Error(err)
-		return
-	}
 	var containers []Container
 	defer func() {
 		for _, c := range containers {
@@ -58,7 +52,7 @@ func BenchmarkContainerCreate(b *testing.B) {
 	b.ResetTimer()
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
 		id := fmt.Sprintf("%s-%d", b.Name(), i)
-		container, err := client.NewContainer(ctx, id, WithNewSnapshot(id, image), WithSpec(spec))
+		container, err := client.NewContainer(ctx, id, WithNewSnapshot(id, image), WithNewSpec(oci.WithImageConfig(image), withExitStatus(7)))
 		if err != nil {
 			b.Error(err)
 			return
@@ -83,11 +77,6 @@ func BenchmarkContainerStart(b *testing.B) {
 		b.Error(err)
 		return
 	}
-	spec, err := oci.GenerateSpec(ctx, client, &containers.Container{ID: b.Name()}, oci.WithImageConfig(image), withTrue())
-	if err != nil {
-		b.Error(err)
-		return
-	}
 	var containers []Container
 	defer func() {
 		for _, c := range containers {
@@ -99,7 +88,7 @@ func BenchmarkContainerStart(b *testing.B) {
 
 	for i := 0; i < b.N; i++ {
 		id := fmt.Sprintf("%s-%d", b.Name(), i)
-		container, err := client.NewContainer(ctx, id, WithNewSnapshot(id, image), WithSpec(spec))
+		container, err := client.NewContainer(ctx, id, WithNewSnapshot(id, image), WithNewSpec(oci.WithImageConfig(image), withExitStatus(7)))
 		if err != nil {
 			b.Error(err)
 			return
@@ -115,11 +104,25 @@ func BenchmarkContainerStart(b *testing.B) {
 			b.Error(err)
 			return
 		}
+		statusC, err := task.Wait(ctx)
+		if err != nil {
+			b.Error(err)
+			return
+		}
 		defer task.Delete(ctx)
 		if err := task.Start(ctx); err != nil {
 			b.Error(err)
 			return
 		}
+		status := <-statusC
+		code, _, err := status.Result()
+		if err != nil {
+			b.Error(err)
+			return
+		}
+		if code != 7 {
+			b.Errorf("expected status 7 from wait but received %d", code)
+		}
 	}
 	b.StopTimer()
 }
diff --git a/pkg/testutil/helpers.go b/pkg/testutil/helpers.go
index 6d2523fec2449..f460e1ed9dba5 100644
--- a/pkg/testutil/helpers.go
+++ b/pkg/testutil/helpers.go
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ import (
 	"flag"
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"os/user"
 	"path/filepath"
 	"strconv"
 	"testing"
@@ -43,7 +44,25 @@ func init() {
 				break
 			}
 		}
+		if isRoot, err := IsRootUser(); err == nil {
+			if isRoot {
+				rootEnabled = true
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func IsRootUser() (bool, error) {
+	currentUser, err := user.Current()
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
+	}
+
+	uid, err := strconv.Atoi(currentUser.Uid)
+	if err != nil {
+		return false, err
 	}
+	return uid == 0, nil
 }
 
 // DumpDir prints the contents of the directory to the testing logger.