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INUVIK - For two-and-a-half years Olympic swimmer Mike Brown found himself in a rut, making no progress and unable to break his own personal best time.

But he battled through the frustrations, the aches and pains and found a way to come out on top.

Olympic swimmer Mike Brown will arrive in Inuvik next week to coach the Mackenzie Muskrats swim team and to tell his inspiring story to students. - photo courtesy of Swimming Canada

"Part of me thought I reached my limit," said Brown. "I was able to push through that rut and keep working hard and was able to lower it significantly this past year."

At last summer's 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he eclipsed the Canadian 200-metre breaststroke record. A Commonwealth Games gold medallist and world championship silver medallist, the 25-year-old knows a thing or two about success.

He's hoping to pass on his five point formula to the young and old when he visits Inuvik next week for a two day visit from May 13 to 14. That is hard work, commitment, having fun, goal setting and perseverance.

"I'm trying to inspire a dream in them," he said.

He'll spend an hour and a half coaching the Mackenzie Muskrats swim team on Wednesday.

Muskrats team coach Ashley Mercer said she's thrilled Brown decided to make the trip, which is covered in part by the territorial government. She said she's sure her swimmers will lap up everything he has to say.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to engage with one of the world's best and to have the opportunity to swim with an Olympic swimmer is an amazing chance for young swimmers to see where sports can take them," said Mercer. "We are so excited to have him come here."

He plans to drop into both SHSS and SAMS to speak to the students. He'll also speak at a potluck dinner at the community hall from 6:45 to 8 p.m., which is open to the public. His trip to the North will also include a stop in Yellowknife, where he'll also talk to youth and coach the Yellowknife Polar Bear Swim Club.

Hailing from Perth, a small Ontario town of about 6,000, Brown said he feels obliged to get out and spread the message that with a dream anything is possible, no matter where you come from.

"I want to share with them the ups and downs of what I went through," he said. "I was really no different from them. Sometimes kids feel like they can't go out and achieve what they want to achieve. I want to share my story and share my dreams to help inspire them."

But he said the road to the top is sometimes a rocky one.

"There's no straight line to the top," he said. "You're not going to wake up an Olympic athlete or an actor or singer, whatever you want to be. There's ups and downs all over the place. What you do with those down points will make you successful in the long run."