It is less vivid; "raced after" emits a feeling of either action, suspense, or energy. It allows the reader to connect and fully understand what is going on. "ran after" is vague and emits little high energy.
Decline and respectfully decline.
Answer:For example, when you get those weird chewy caramel things on Halloween; given out of kindness but really no good. I'm thinking of something that is a "false gift", almost like the inverse of a blessing in disguise (which this thread discusses, but none of those are what I'm thinking of).
The intentionality of the giver is not so important as the properties of the thing itself: it is supposed to be good, but really isn't.
Explanation:
