Four days after finishing the Boston Marathon, Carlos Barillas biked to work. From Billerica. He swears the 22-mile ride loosened his legs—enough to run, not hobble, up the stairs from his office in Shad. We talked with Carlos about his running journey, his role as a senior IT support analyst, and his path to HBS.
How did you decide to run the Boston Marathon?
It all started as a New Year’s resolution. In January 2024 I decided to take on running, and my friends all said the best way to start was to sign up for a short run. So, I signed up for a 5K, which I had to look up to find out it was 3.1 miles. At the beginning, it felt like a small blinking light—that it was something that could potentially flourish and might lead me somewhere like a marathon. Leading up to the 5K, I had a rigid training schedule for a month, on race day I came in at 26 minutes and thought “Ok, this is pretty cool, I like this, and I love the running community around it.” That gave me the fever to run more, so I signed up for a 10K and then a half marathon, which I didn't think I would even be capable of doing.
A couple of months later, Walfred Arenales from HBS Operations invited me to a Latino Heritage Month breakfast in Boston. One of the speakers was the founder of LLEGO Boston, a nonprofit that unites the knowledge and experience of Latino law enforcement officers to promote diversity. He shared several inspiring accomplishments, including the foundation’s efforts in supporting runners at the Boston Marathon. My ears perked up immediately! Later that year, I applied for one of their charity bibs, and it didn’t take long before I received the exciting news congratulating me on securing a spot. While juggling a strict training schedule, I also took on the challenge of fundraising. Thankfully, with the generous support of my HBS colleagues and faculty, I was able to reach the start line with confidence and gratitude.
How was the experience?
I can’t even begin to describe how happy I was just to be at the starting line. I got incredibly emotional, because getting there took so much work and sacrifice. I missed time with my family, balancing long training sessions and constant fundraising efforts. But standing there at that start line, it all came together—I knew I was there for a reason. I had my sponsors behind me and my family pushing me, giving me every ounce of strength I needed. It was deeply emotional to begin and even more powerful to cross the finish. My wife, Christine, and our two daughters are my biggest cheerleaders—they were with me every step of the way.
Coming back to work later that week, I found myself getting emotional all over again. I knew there were messages waiting in both Teams and my inbox, asking how the marathon went. I can’t overstate how meaningful the support from HBS was—every message of encouragement, every donation, every kind word made a difference. It truly felt like a community rallying behind a greater cause. At the heart of it, that’s what HBS is all about: lifting each other up, striving for growth, and sharing in one another’s success.
What was your path to HBS?
This answer goes back a little more than a decade. I was working at Apple right on Boylston Street—right where the Boston Marathon cuts through. A former colleague who had left Apple to come to HBS had recently been promoted and called me to say that his old role as a customer support specialist was open and that it would be perfect for me. I laughed because I had big goals at Apple, but he said, “Trust me, give it a shot.” And like the interviews for my marathon sponsor, I went from one to another and when I got the offer I was thinking, “Am I really going into academia? I love the fast pace of retail; I love socializing and talking to people every day.” I had to make the hard decision to leave, and I wasn’t sure it was where my strengths could be highlighted, but holy cow did I make the right decision. It was a a very big learning curve that took me a long time to navigate. But I adjusted and quickly took all the service calls for Apple computers and relearned Windows to challenge myself.
What does your current role look like day to day?
Because I’ve seen most of the issues that have gone through our community, I do a lot of training, which I absolutely love. Day to day, it depends on what rotation I’m on. TSS has three rotations—let me explain it as if your computer broke down. You’d call us, which is the front line, intake—and you bring in the computer and we find that it’s a malfunction that needs repair, so you get a loaner. The onsite team then confirms the issue, and your technician from that team is then solely responsible for making sure that your computer gets back up and running. If it’s a software issue, then it goes to our third team, a smaller group that is built for looking at software issues that would need more time. We can get 30 calls in one day to one team, or we could have five machines being resolved on the mechanical side, or someone having issues with Outlook or Zoom. Having a new challenge every day is what keeps things exciting—it’s what makes me look forward to coming to work.
Where did you grow up?
I’m from El Salvador; my sister and I came here when I was almost nine to join my parents. It was December and snow was seeping through the jet bridge when we got off the airplane at Logan, and we were like, “What is this! Oh my god!” We just had the blankets that the flight attendant gave us, no coats, it was a real shock. Our parents were waiting at the gate—we had only seen pictures of them and didn’t really remember them—but the moment we arrived, they greeted us with the warmest hugs and kisses and, of course, had coats ready in hand.
We grew up in Somerville, riding our bikes through Harvard Square, ignoring any signs that said to walk your bikes because that’s what teenagers do. So I always knew about Harvard—we’d see the students, faculty, community—it was a fun place to be.
When you're not training for a marathon, how do you like to spend your spare time?
As a family, we absolutely love spending time outdoors—whether it’s traveling, camping, or getting our hands dirty in the garden—planting and harvesting fresh vegetables. We genuinely enjoy each other’s company, whether we’re cooking a meal together or curling up on the sofa for a movie night. My older daughter is 19 and my youngest is 9, and despite the age gap, we all cherish those moments around the dinner table—sharing a meal, telling stories, and laughing together. It’s those simple moments that mean the most to me.
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