PORTLAND, Ore. — Adidas is going barefoot.

The world’s second-largest athletic company unveiled its first “barefoot” training shoe Tuesday, which is designed to mimic the experience of exercising barefoot while providing the protection, traction and durability of a shoe. The Adipure Trainer, which is a cross between a glove for the feet and a traditional shoe, hits U.S. stores in November priced at $90.

The barefoot shoe is part of a strategy by Adidas, which is based in Germany, to expand into the U.S. where rival Nike dominates. Adidas joins a list of athletic makers trying to tap into the small but burgeoning U.S. market of fanatical runners and gym-goers who swear by shoes designed with as little material between the wearer and the ground as possible.

“People who believe barefoot is the way to go … are very emphatic about it,” said Matt Powell, an analyst with industry research organization SportsOneSource Group. “They want to spread the message. It sounds religious but some of them are evangelical about it.” While barefoot shoes make up a tiny fraction of the $22 billion U.S. athletic shoe industry, it is one of the fast-growing categories. Sales have more than doubled in the past year to roughly $750 million, according to SportsOneSource.

Nike holds roughly 65 percent of the market, appealing to both barefooters and others with the traditional running shoe look of its “Free” line. Vibram has about 10 percent of the market with its Five-Finger shoe, which encases each toe separately.

Adidas, which claims 11 percent of the market, designed its barefoot shoe to balance the two styles. It covers the foot as a shoe would but with a sock-like fit and toe compartments to allow more natural movement.