Unfortunately, there are still plenty more of that kind of quest in EW (and yeah, they all suck). The trick is to take note of the terrain and if there is something like a tree or rock nearby, dart behind it, as you can expect the target to stop and turn around shortly after passing by that, which is the key to getting passed those quests (you're meant to shadow them which means hiding when they turn around). You can tell usually when the quest is about over when the npc will suddennly start running, and when they do that, they'll no longer keep stopping and turning around, so you can run after them without fear. It's just getting to that point that is frustrating, so yeah, we definetely feel your pain.