diff --git a/pingora-timeout/benches/benchmark.rs b/pingora-timeout/benches/benchmark.rs
index 64fd053d..1950af52 100644
--- a/pingora-timeout/benches/benchmark.rs
+++ b/pingora-timeout/benches/benchmark.rs
@@ -49,6 +49,32 @@ async fn bench_fast_timeout() -> u32 {
     n
 }
 
+async fn bench_tokio_timeout_pending_once() -> u32 {
+    let mut n = 0;
+    for _ in 0..LOOP_SIZE {
+        let fut = async {
+            tokio::task::yield_now().await;
+            1
+        };
+        let to = tokio_timeout(Duration::from_secs(1), fut);
+        n += to.await.unwrap();
+    }
+    n
+}
+
+async fn bench_fast_timeout_pending_once() -> u32 {
+    let mut n = 0;
+    for _ in 0..LOOP_SIZE {
+        let fut = async {
+            tokio::task::yield_now().await;
+            1
+        };
+        let to = fast_timeout::fast_timeout(Duration::from_secs(1), fut);
+        n += to.await.unwrap();
+    }
+    n
+}
+
 fn bench_tokio_timer() {
     let mut list = Vec::with_capacity(LOOP_SIZE as usize);
     let before = Instant::now();
@@ -155,6 +181,24 @@ async fn main() {
         elapsed / LOOP_SIZE
     );
 
+    let before = Instant::now();
+    bench_fast_timeout_pending_once().await;
+    let elapsed = before.elapsed();
+    println!(
+        "pingora timeout pending-once {:?} total, {:?} avg per iteration",
+        elapsed,
+        elapsed / LOOP_SIZE
+    );
+
+    let before = Instant::now();
+    bench_tokio_timeout_pending_once().await;
+    let elapsed = before.elapsed();
+    println!(
+        "tokio timeout pending-once {:?} total, {:?} avg per iteration",
+        elapsed,
+        elapsed / LOOP_SIZE
+    );
+
     println!("===========================");
 
     let tm = pingora_timeout::timer::TimerManager::new();
diff --git a/pingora-timeout/src/fast_timeout.rs b/pingora-timeout/src/fast_timeout.rs
index 27535e11..b8aaa787 100644
--- a/pingora-timeout/src/fast_timeout.rs
+++ b/pingora-timeout/src/fast_timeout.rs
@@ -50,8 +50,10 @@ fn check_clock_thread(tm: &Arc<TimerManager>) {
 pub struct FastTimeout(Duration);
 
 impl ToTimeout for FastTimeout {
-    fn timeout(&self) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = ()> + Send + Sync>> {
-        Box::pin(TIMER_MANAGER.register_timer(self.0).poll())
+    type Fut = TimerStubFuture;
+
+    fn timeout(&self) -> Self::Fut {
+        TIMER_MANAGER.register_timer(self.0).poll()
     }
 
     fn create(d: Duration) -> Self {
diff --git a/pingora-timeout/src/lib.rs b/pingora-timeout/src/lib.rs
index 707f7be8..4c765f2b 100644
--- a/pingora-timeout/src/lib.rs
+++ b/pingora-timeout/src/lib.rs
@@ -49,7 +49,9 @@ use tokio::time::{sleep as tokio_sleep, Duration};
 ///
 /// Users don't need to interact with this trait
 pub trait ToTimeout {
-    fn timeout(&self) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = ()> + Send + Sync>>;
+    type Fut: Future<Output = ()> + Send + Sync;
+
+    fn timeout(&self) -> Self::Fut;
     fn create(d: Duration) -> Self;
 }
 
@@ -59,8 +61,10 @@ pub trait ToTimeout {
 pub struct TokioTimeout(Duration);
 
 impl ToTimeout for TokioTimeout {
-    fn timeout(&self) -> Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = ()> + Send + Sync>> {
-        Box::pin(tokio_sleep(self.0))
+    type Fut = tokio::time::Sleep;
+
+    fn timeout(&self) -> Self::Fut {
+        tokio_sleep(self.0)
     }
 
     fn create(d: Duration) -> Self {
@@ -95,11 +99,11 @@ where
 pin_project! {
     /// The timeout future returned by the timeout functions
     #[must_use = "futures do nothing unless you `.await` or poll them"]
-    pub struct Timeout<T, F> {
+    pub struct Timeout<T, F: ToTimeout> {
         #[pin]
         value: T,
         #[pin]
-        delay: Option<Pin<Box<dyn Future<Output = ()> + Send + Sync>>>,
+        delay: Option<F::Fut>,
         callback: F, // callback to create the timer
     }
 }
@@ -132,11 +136,12 @@ where
             return Poll::Ready(Ok(v));
         }
 
-        let delay = me
-            .delay
-            .get_or_insert_with(|| Box::pin(me.callback.timeout()));
+        if me.delay.is_none() {
+            me.delay.as_mut().set(Some(me.callback.timeout()));
+        }
 
-        match delay.as_mut().poll(cx) {
+        // safe: delay is Some after init
+        match me.delay.as_pin_mut().unwrap().poll(cx) {
             Poll::Pending => Poll::Pending,
             Poll::Ready(()) => Poll::Ready(Err(Elapsed {})),
         }
diff --git a/pingora-timeout/src/timer.rs b/pingora-timeout/src/timer.rs
index c6c587e0..581525c4 100644
--- a/pingora-timeout/src/timer.rs
+++ b/pingora-timeout/src/timer.rs
@@ -29,11 +29,15 @@
 //! - drop: 10.694154ms total, 106ns avg per iteration
 
 use parking_lot::RwLock;
+use pin_project_lite::pin_project;
 use std::collections::BTreeMap;
+use std::future::Future;
 use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicBool, AtomicI64, Ordering};
 use std::sync::Arc;
+use std::task::Poll;
 use std::time::{Duration, Instant};
 use thread_local::ThreadLocal;
+use tokio::sync::futures::OwnedNotified;
 use tokio::sync::Notify;
 
 const RESOLUTION_MS: u64 = 10;
@@ -71,11 +75,54 @@ pub struct TimerStub(Arc<Notify>, Arc<AtomicBool>);
 
 impl TimerStub {
     /// Wait for the timer to expire.
-    pub async fn poll(self) {
-        if self.1.load(Ordering::SeqCst) {
-            return;
+    pub fn poll(self) -> TimerStubFuture {
+        TimerStubFuture::new(self.0, self.1)
+    }
+}
+
+pin_project! {
+    pub struct TimerStubFuture {
+        notify_src: Option<Arc<Notify>>,
+        #[pin]
+        notified: Option<OwnedNotified>,
+        fired: Arc<AtomicBool>,
+        checked_once: bool,
+    }
+}
+
+impl TimerStubFuture {
+    fn new(notify: Arc<Notify>, fired: Arc<AtomicBool>) -> Self {
+        TimerStubFuture {
+            notify_src: Some(notify),
+            notified: None,
+            fired,
+            checked_once: false,
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+impl Future for TimerStubFuture {
+    type Output = ();
+
+    fn poll(self: std::pin::Pin<&mut Self>, cx: &mut std::task::Context<'_>) -> Poll<Self::Output> {
+        let mut this = self.project();
+
+        if !*this.checked_once {
+            *this.checked_once = true;
+
+            if this.fired.load(Ordering::SeqCst) {
+                return Poll::Ready(());
+            }
+
+            let notify = this.notify_src.take().expect("polled after completion");
+            this.notified.set(Some(notify.notified_owned()));
         }
-        self.0.notified().await;
+
+        this.notified
+            .as_mut()
+            .as_pin_mut()
+            .expect("initialized on first poll")
+            .poll(cx)
     }
 }