diff --git a/stopify-continuations/src/runtime/abstractRuntime.ts b/stopify-continuations/src/runtime/abstractRuntime.ts
index 2c415d83..60bb54bd 100644
--- a/stopify-continuations/src/runtime/abstractRuntime.ts
+++ b/stopify-continuations/src/runtime/abstractRuntime.ts
@@ -42,6 +42,11 @@ export abstract class RuntimeImpl implements Runtime {
   // represents 'restore' mode.
   mode: Mode;
 
+  // Represents whether the stack is currently active – that is, if you
+  // call a function if it can expect to do its capture/restore logic
+  // with the right things available on the stack.
+  stackActive: boolean;
+
   /**
    *  A saved stack trace. This field is only used when a user-mode exception
    * is thrown.
@@ -68,6 +73,7 @@ export abstract class RuntimeImpl implements Runtime {
     this.stackSize = stackSize;
     this.remainingStack = stackSize;
     this.mode = true;
+    this.stackActive = false;
     this.kind = undefined as any; // the worst
   }
 
@@ -77,6 +83,7 @@ export abstract class RuntimeImpl implements Runtime {
       f: () => {
         this.stack = [];
         this.mode = true;
+        this.stackActive = true;
         return f();
       },
       this: this,
@@ -86,6 +93,7 @@ export abstract class RuntimeImpl implements Runtime {
   runtime<T>(body: () => any, onDone: (x: Result) => T): T {
 
     while(true) {
+      this.stackActive = true;
       const result = this.abstractRun(body);
 
       if (result.type === 'normal' || result.type === 'exception') {
@@ -110,19 +118,23 @@ export abstract class RuntimeImpl implements Runtime {
         }
         else if(result.type === 'normal') {
           assert(this.mode, 'execution completed in restore mode');
+          this.stackActive = false;
           return onDone(result);
         }
         else if(result.type === 'exception') {
           assert(this.mode, `execution completed in restore mode, error was: ${result.value}`);
           const stack = this.stackTrace;
           this.stackTrace = [];
+          this.stackActive = false;
           return onDone({ type: 'exception', value: result.value, stack });
         }
       }
       else if (result.type === 'capture') {
+        this.stackActive = false;
         body = () => result.f.call(global, this.makeCont(result.stack));
       }
       else if (result.type === 'restore') {
+        this.stackActive = false;
         body = () => {
           if (result.stack.length === 0) {
             throw new Error(`Can't restore from empty stack`);
@@ -135,6 +147,7 @@ export abstract class RuntimeImpl implements Runtime {
         };
       }
       else if (result.type === 'end-turn') {
+        this.stackActive = false;
         return result.callback(onDone);
       }
     }
diff --git a/stopify-continuations/src/types.ts b/stopify-continuations/src/types.ts
index f7cc2fba..797cdf53 100644
--- a/stopify-continuations/src/types.ts
+++ b/stopify-continuations/src/types.ts
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@ export interface Runtime {
 
   mode: Mode;
   stack: Stack;
+  stackActive: boolean;
 
   endTurn(callback: (onDone: (x: Result) => any) => any): never;
 
diff --git a/stopify/src/runtime/abstractRunner.ts b/stopify/src/runtime/abstractRunner.ts
index 0b78d7c1..60e7d265 100644
--- a/stopify/src/runtime/abstractRunner.ts
+++ b/stopify/src/runtime/abstractRunner.ts
@@ -245,6 +245,10 @@ export abstract class AbstractRunner implements AsyncRun {
     this.continuationsRTS.runtime(body, callback);
   }
 
+  isRunning(): boolean {
+    return this.continuationsRTS.stackActive;
+  }
+
   processEvent(body: () => void, receiver: (x: Result) => void): void {
     this.eventQueue.push({ body, receiver } );
     this.processQueuedEvents();
diff --git a/stopify/src/types.ts b/stopify/src/types.ts
index 7b1a3fab..9b6d3202 100644
--- a/stopify/src/types.ts
+++ b/stopify/src/types.ts
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ export interface AsyncRun {
     onBreakpoint?: (line: number) => void): void;
   pause(onPaused: (line?: number) => void): void;
   resume(): void;
+  isRunning(): boolean;
   setBreakpoints(line: number[]): void;
   step(onStep: (line: number) => void): void;
   pauseK(callback: (k: (r: Result) => void) => void): void;
diff --git a/stopify/test/semantics.test.ts b/stopify/test/semantics.test.ts
index cb63b8d7..0c21389a 100644
--- a/stopify/test/semantics.test.ts
+++ b/stopify/test/semantics.test.ts
@@ -282,6 +282,38 @@ describe('integration tests', function () {
     }
 });
 
+describe('Test cases that check running status',() => {
+    test('Running status should be paused (not running) in synchronous code after starting to run', onDone => {
+        const runner = harness(`
+            function sum(x) {
+                if (x % 20 === 0) { checkRunning(); }
+                if (x % 30 === 0) { pauseAndCheckRunning(); }
+                if (x <= 1) {
+                    return 1;
+                } else {
+                    return x + sum(x-1);
+                }
+            }
+            assert.equal(sum(100), 5050);
+            `, { captureMethod: 'lazy' });
+        runner.g.checkRunning = function() {
+            assert.equal(runner.isRunning(), true);
+        };
+        runner.g.pauseAndCheckRunning = function() {
+            runner.pauseK(k => {
+                assert.equal(runner.isRunning(), false);
+                k({ type: 'normal', value: 'restart' });
+            });
+        };
+        runner.run(result => {
+            expect(result).toEqual({ type: 'normal' });
+            onDone();
+        expect(runner.isRunning()).toBe(false);
+        });
+    }, 10000);
+
+});
+
 describe('Test cases that require deep stacks',() => {
     const runtimeOpts: Partial<types.RuntimeOpts> = {
         stackSize: 100,