A WEEKEND in the South of France may sound idyllic ... but for fundraiser Debbie Smith it’s bound to be a hard slog.

She will pound the roads from Nice to Cannes to run a marathon with a 14kg soldier’s pack on her back.

Debbie, 34, is setting off on Saturday to complete the French Riviera Marathon and expects to raise about �3,000 for Help for Heroes.

She has become a local co-ordinator for the charity that looks after injured service personnel.

Debbie said: “I had been training with a 20kg pack carried by male soldiers, but a trainer in Afghanistan advised me that such a weight could cause me injury, so I have cut my pack down to the size carried by women soldiers.

“The pack I am carrying used to belong to a soldier who was injured in Afghanistan and lost both his legs.

“His wife lent me the pack ... she thinks I am mad.”

To sponsor Debbie, contact 07411 492700.