Then there were only 8.8m cars in the UK. Now, with more than 27m on the roads, the Blackwall tunnel has become a notorious bottleneck for commuters heading into the City from Kent and southeast London. In 1897 many a horsedrawn carriage could have crossed London at higher speeds than a 500bhp Ferrari can in rush-hour traffic today.

Pinsent, who has been in training for the marathon since January and can now run five miles without really breaking sweat, knows the frustrations of driving in London. He prefers to cut through the queues on his Yamaha motorbike, so he really doesn’t think the car stands much of a chance.

At 8.50am the chequered flag is lowered and the race is on. Butler-Henderson shoots out of the blocks, all cylinders firing and Pinsent sprints from the start line, settling quickly into a steady but not unimpressive pace.

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Butler-Henderson decides to take her chances on the back streets to try to bypass the queues into the tunnel. The speed bumps aren’t too much of a hindrance as the Mini bounces along — “Poxy speed bumps! Come on, out of the way! I’m racing a gold medallist!” — and she even has time to point out the lovely view over London . . . the Millennium Dome, the David Beckham Academy.

But within a few minutes she has hit the back of a queue of traffic. In the nick of time she decides to divert. A few nifty little turns up empty side streets and she’s about to enter the tunnel. All’s going well until she spots the roadworks. She waits to filter from three to two lanes, revving the engine impatiently.

Meanwhile Pinsent is approaching the Greenwich foot tunnel and is about the cross the Thames. Apart from dodging a few early morning dog walkers his way is clear. The steps out of the tunnel leave him panting, but then it’s on to the riverside path, with views of, well, Deptford.

He’s making steady progress while Butler-Henderson is still waiting at the approach to the Blackwall tunnel. “I can’t believe it. They only put the roadworks in three days ago. It’s a disaster,” she says.

But then a strange thing happens.

It may be shortly before 9am on a Thursday, the roads are busy, but the traffic is still flowing, albeit slowly. Butler-Henderson drives into the tunnel, apologising to drivers she isn’t letting into her lane: “I’m so sorry, I really would normally let you in.”

She emerges from the tunnel just before 9am, barely 10 minutes after leaving Blackheath. Minutes later she’s through the Limehouse Link tunnel, which connects the City to Docklands in the east, and only a mile from our destination.

Pinsent is about a mile and a half from Wapping. The car is in the lead by a nose. But it only takes one nasty tailback and Pinsent will have the last laugh. Butler-Henderson pulls onto the straight wide road known as the Highway, which leads to the Sunday Times offices. There are no alternative routes, so when she hits that road she’s stuck on it.

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