By Jorge Mercado Friday, October 2nd, 2026

Most Olympic athletes begin training for their opportunity on the world’s biggest stage when they are 5, 6 or even 7.

But Denmark-native Viktor Thorup started training for speed skating much later in life — at age 17, by his account. 

“For a sport that’s so technical with such specific feel, it’s very hard, close to impossible, to at least make it to an Olympic level, let alone medal,” Thorup told the Business Times at Goleta’s Ice in Paradise Skating Rink Sept. 29.

But he still had his ambition. So Thorup began focusing on what he could control to help him get up to speed. After missing out on the 2014 Olympics by a second in the 5K, he said he began to focus on how he could improve every single detail of his regimen — from sleep to nutrition, to even breathing.

Thorup began trying out every single nasal strip on the market. Many were duds, he found, but one worked: Santa Barbara-based Intake Breathing’s nasal strip product.

“Breathing is such an essential thing, especially in the sport. I already skate in a freezer and in a position where it’s not very ideal for breathing. It’s so compromised, so I tried all these strips, then I tried Intake, and I noticed a difference in all my numbers, HRV, RHR, deep sleep,” Thorup said. 

This was in 2022, and after reaching out to Intake Founder and CEO Alex Hauck, Thorup started using the product religiously. In 2026, Thorup, through all his hard work and effort, became Denmark’s second-ever medalist at the Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal in the men’s mass start event.

“That feeling was really sweet; it was my whole life in the making,” Thorup said. “For me to get even to the Olympics, let alone an Olympic medal, I had to do all these small things and they paid off.”

At the time that Thorup reached out to Intake, the company was actually in hot water. Founded in 2018, Intake launched its first product, the Intake Sport Band, via a Kickstarter campaign in June 2019 before establishing its headquarters in Santa Barbara. 

Hauck told the Business Times that the disposable element of the product, which allows the nasal strip to connect to one’s nose, was only possible through really expensive machinery, meaning that once the company fulfilled the orders of its Kickstarter campaign, it was basically out of money.

“It was just not scalable and we had burned through all our cash,” Hauck said. “I had to let everyone go, including my wife, all the way down to just me. It was the lowest point in our history.”

Then Thorup reached out. 

Hauck couldn’t offer much, especially not money, but Thorup’s story and aspirations inspired him to keep moving forward with the product.

“If we could just find a way to scale it, it will work,” Hauck said. “We all have no idea how poorly we’re breathing. It’s kind of how everyone was walking around before they figured out corrective lenses.”

In 2022, Hauck did a pitch competition. He did well enough that investors were interested in connecting him with the necessary manufacturers that could make his product scalable and affordable.

So he sank his final $150,000, waited about a year and a half, and in the end was rewarded with the nasal strip product that exists now — the one that Thorup uses every day both inside and outside of training.

“The way I see it, breathing better for years means better sleep for years, and it means better performance for years,” he said.

Hauck said Intake is reaching new highs. About 95% of the company’s sales are direct-to-consumer, but Intake has a huge retail announcement coming before the end of the year that will dramatically change the company’s way of life.

Hauck said that since launching the final version of the product, sales have increased 300% to 400% each year since 2023.

Intake Breathing was even recognized by the South Coast Business and Technology Awards this year as a Rising Star.

As for Thorup, he is currently training for the first World Cup in Beijing in mid-November. 

“Interestingly, we both met at the bottom,” Thorup said with a laugh. “I failed at the Olympics and Intake was in a bad place. But we are both here now and not done.”

Thorup’s visit to Santa Barbara was to meet with Hauck, whom he had communicated with only by email for the previous four years. He said he was originally only going to stay a few days, but extended his stay because of how beautiful the city is. 

“Even though it’s hard work, I appreciate every second of training and every second of just enjoying the weather and the vibes here,” he said.

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