Meet the marathon runner behind RevPoints

Some runners rewrite the rules. Forrest Gump crossed the United States again and again, simply for the love of running. In 2019, two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge broke 2 hours in a tailor-made, unofficial marathon. And last April in the London Marathon, Sabastian Sawe finally made it official: 1:59:30.

At Revolut, we have our own barrier-breaker. Iskander Yadgarov is a Software Engineer on Revolut's Loyalty team, and a two-time winner of the Moscow Marathon. He trains a few times a day with a coach who has prepared Olympic athletes, and has even won races in costume. For him, winning and having fun go hand in hand.

But Iskander runs another race too, and this one happens at his desk. For the past 3 years, he’s been building features that help millions of Revolut customers around the world earn and enjoy rewards through everyday spending.

Two lives in a day

While most people are still reaching for the snooze button, Iskander is already out on the road. His day starts with a 12 km run at dawn. Then comes the daily stand-up with his Loyalty team, several hours of building and shipping code, and another 12 km in the evening.

On the Loyalty team, Iskander builds features like RevPoints, the rewards system our customers benefit from every time they pay.

He engineers the logic that calculates points on everyday purchases and integrates brand partnerships, such as earning 5 RevPoints per pound spent on Uber.

It’s a natural fit, mirroring his passion for running. Loyalty rewards the customers who show up day after day. Distance running requires the same mindset: every kilometre counts, and over time, that effort compounds.

The long run

Over 12 years of engineering and 17 years of competitive running have taught Iskander the same rule. Elite performance compounds one session, and one task, at a time. That discipline shows on both fronts — earning him two Moscow Marathon titles, and successfully building systems relied on by millions of daily customers.

While software engineering lends a methodical mindset to his training, running also feeds his engineering. An hour on the road works almost like meditation. He returns to his desk with a clearer mind, and problems feel simpler.

The finish line

When a project is ambitious and the bar is high, Iskander is the first to take it on.

Revolut brings together people whose talents go far beyond their job title, and gives them room to perform at their best, and keep going a little further.

On 27 September, Iskander brought that approach to Revolut’s partner event, the Berlin Marathon, with a new goal: the fastest marathon ever run in Crocs.

He crossed the line in 2:30:03, holding a 3:33 per kilometre pace. While his time awaits verification by Guinness World Records, he's already back to the daily stand-up with his Loyalty team.