diff --git a/abratest/runner.py b/abratest/runner.py
index e572c7a..85e2ae9 100644
--- a/abratest/runner.py
+++ b/abratest/runner.py
@@ -39,7 +39,6 @@ class Runner:
 
         logger.info(f"creating instance of {self.__class__.__name__}")
         assert self.test_dir_name
-        self.root_dir = Path(__file__).parent
 
     def run_setups(self):
         """runs the setup scripts if available"""